Lester M. Sdorow,
Arcadia University
Cheryl A. Rickabaugh,
University of Redlands
| adaptation-level theory | The theory that happiness depends on comparing one's present circumstances with one's past circumstances.
|
 |
|
|
| Cannon-Bard theory | The theory that an emotion is produced when an event or object is perceived by the thalamus, which conveys this information simultaneously to the cerebral cortex and the skeletal muscles and autonomic nervous system.
|
|
|
|
| cognitive-appraisal theory | The theory that one's emotion at a given time depends on one's interpretation of the situation one is in.
|
|
|
|
| disparagement theory | The theory that humor is amusing when it makes one feel superior to other people.
|
|
|
|
| emotion | A motivated state marked by physiological arousal, expressive behavior, and cognitive experience.
|
|
|
|
| facial-feedback theory | The theory that particular facial expressions induce particular emotional experiences.
|
|
|
|
| fight-or-flight response | A state of physiological arousal that enables us to meet sudden threats by either confronting them or running away from them.
|
|
|
|
| Guilty Knowledge Test | A method that assesses lying by measuring physiological arousal in response to information that is relevant to a transgression and physiological arousal in response to information that is irrelevant to that transgression.
|
|
|
|
| incongruity theory | The theory that humor is amusing when it brings together incompatible ideas in a surprising outcome that violates one's expectations.
|
|
|
|
| James-Lange theory | The theory that specific patterns of physiological changes evoke specific emotional experiences.
|
|
|
|
| opponent-process theory | The theory that the brain counteracts a strong positive or negative emotion by evoking an opposite emotional response.
|
|
|
|
| polygraph test | The "lie detector" test, which assesses lying by measuring changing patterns of physiological arousal in response to particular questions.
|
|
|
|
| release theory | The theory that humor relieves anxiety caused by sexual or aggressive energy.
|
|
|
|
| social-comparison theory | The theory that happiness is the result of estimating that one's life circumstances are more favorable than those of others.
|
|
|
|
| two-factor theory | The theory that emotional experience is the outcome of physiological arousal and the attribution of a cause for that arousal.
|
2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education