Question

What hypothesis did schachter and singer test in their experiment, in which they injected participants with epinephrine and manipulated the emotion that a confederate displayed?

a. activation of the central nervous system will enhance emotional experience.
b. activation of the somatic nervous system will affect emotional experience.
c. activation of the sympathetic nervous system will affect emotional experience.
d. deactivation of the frontal lobe will enhance emotional experience.

Answer 1

Schachter and Singer's hypothesis tested that the activation of the sympathetic nervous system affects emotional experiences, forming the Schachter-Singer two-factor theory which emphasizes physiological arousal and cognitive appraisal in shaping emotions. The correct answer is option c.

Step-by-step explanation:

The hypothesis that Schachter and Singer tested in their experiment, where they injected participants with epinephrine and manipulated the emotion displayed by a confederate, was this: activation of the sympathetic nervous system will affect emotional experience (option c).

Their study formed the basis of the Schachter-Singer two-factor theory of emotion, which proposes that physiological arousal and cognitive appraisal together shape our emotional experiences.

According to this theory, an individual will experience physiological arousal (like an increased heart rate due to the injection) and use the context around them (such as the behavior of a confederate) to cognitively interpret this arousal, resulting in an emotional state.

This theory differs from the James-Lange theory, which suggests that emotions arise directly out of physiological arousal, without the influence of cognitive appraisal.