You just finished a cup of very strong coffee, which causes your body to have a general feeling of arousal. That afternoon, you walk past a cemetery where several people are crying at a graveside. According to Schachter and Singer, which of the following would most likely occur?

A) Your emotion would be happy in spite of the scene at the graveside.
B) You would work very hard to control your emotion.
C) Your emotion would be sad, since the context would affect your labeling.
D) Your emotional state would be impossible to predict.

Question

CHELSEY LOCKEY · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : C, Explanation :  According to Schachter and Singer's two-factor theory of emotion, our emotional state is based on both physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation of the situation. In this scenario, the strong coffee has caused general arousal in the body, but the context of the cemetery and people crying at a graveside would lead to a sad emotional response, as the context affects your cognitive labeling and interpretation of the situation. Therefore, choice C is the most likely outcome.

Definitions

Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Related questions