Final answer:
Cognitive appraisal is the interpretation of an event which mediates between the stimulus and the emotional response, playing a critical role in our emotional experiences and stress management.
Step-by-step explanation:
Our interpretation of an event is called cognitive appraisal. Cognitive appraisal is a concept introduced by Lazarus (1991), referring to the immediate and often unconscious evaluation that occurs between the stimulus and our emotional response. This appraisal is fundamental in deciding whether we view an event as stressful, influential in our stress reaction, and predetermines our emotional experience.
Schachter and Singer also highlighted that physiological responses are similar across different emotions, thus the cognitive appraisal critically determines the emotion we experience. Contrary to cognitive appraisal, biofeedback is a technique for gaining voluntary control over involuntary bodily processes through the use of electronic monitoring, while psychosomatic evaluating refers to how psychological factors influence physical symptoms. Cognitive appraisal directly affects how we manage stress, as our primary and secondary appraisals influence our perception of potential challenges or threats.