Question

Suri watched a tiger pace and growl in its cage at the zoo. Her heart raced, and she felt curiosity, rather than fear. According to the two-factor theory, this is likely due to which of the following statements?

A) The amygdala was not sufficiently aroused to produce fear.
B) The physiological arousal was not great enough to experience fear.
C) Her unconscious thinking led to an immediate emotion of curiosity.
D) She interpreted the situation as being safe, and she labeled her arousal as curiosity.

Answer 1

The correct option is D: She interpreted the situation as being safe, and she labeled her arousal as curiosity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The two-factor theory suggests that how people experience emotion are dependent on physiological arousal and how they cognitively interpret the arousal. Suri had the option of fear and curiosity available to her. Due to the fact that the Tiger was in a cage, her arousal was then curiosity because she knew there was no way the tiger would break out of the cage. If on the other hand, the Tiger was uncaged, Suri's arousal would be fear because at this point the interpretation would be "danger".