Schachter-Singer Experiment: Testing the Two-Factor Theory of Emotion

📚 Quick Study Guide

• 🧠 The Schachter-Singer Two-Factor Theory of Emotion states that emotion is based on two factors: physiological arousal and cognitive label.
• 🧪 The experiment involved injecting participants with epinephrine (adrenaline) to induce physiological arousal.
• 😡 Participants were then exposed to different situations (euphoric or angry) to assess how their cognitive interpretation of the arousal influenced their emotional experience.
• 📝 Key Finding: Emotion experienced is influenced by the interpretation of physiological arousal based on environmental cues.
• 👨‍🔬 The group injected with epinephrine who were NOT informed of the effects of the injection were more susceptible to the influence of the confederate's (actor) behavior (euphoric or angry).

Practice Quiz

1. What are the two factors in Schachter-Singer's Two-Factor Theory of Emotion?
   1. A. Physiological arousal and emotional expression
   2. B. Cognitive appraisal and behavioral response
   3. C. Physiological arousal and cognitive label
   4. D. Emotional expression and cognitive appraisal


2. In the Schachter-Singer experiment, what substance were participants injected with?
   1. A. Placebo
   2. B. Epinephrine (adrenaline)
   3. C. Serotonin
   4. D. Dopamine


3. What was the purpose of injecting participants with epinephrine?
   1. A. To suppress their emotions
   2. B. To induce physiological arousal
   3. C. To measure their cognitive abilities
   4. D. To test their behavioral responses


4. What role did the confederates play in the Schachter-Singer experiment?
   1. A. They administered the injections
   2. B. They observed the participants' behavior
   3. C. They created either a euphoric or angry situation
   4. D. They analyzed the data collected


5. According to the Schachter-Singer theory, what happens if a person experiences physiological arousal without an immediate explanation?
   1. A. They will ignore the arousal
   2. B. They will seek environmental cues to label the emotion
   3. C. They will become immediately angry
   4. D. They will become immediately euphoric


6. Which group in the Schachter-Singer experiment was most likely to adopt the emotion of the confederate?
   1. A. The placebo group
   2. B. The informed epinephrine group
   3. C. The misinformed epinephrine group
   4. D. The uninformed epinephrine group


7. What is a key conclusion of the Schachter-Singer experiment?
   1. A. Emotions are purely physiological responses.
   2. B. Cognitive factors play no role in emotional experience.
   3. C. Physiological arousal is sufficient for experiencing emotion.
   4. D. Cognitive interpretation of arousal influences emotional experience.