Patterns of cognitive appraisal in emotion.

Abstract

There has long been interest in describing emotional experience in terms of underlying dimensions, but traditionally only two dimensions, pleasantness and arousal, have been reliably found. The reasons for these findings are reviewed, and integrating this review with two recent theories of emotions (Roseman, 1984;Scherer, 1982), we propose eight cognitive appraisal dimensions to differentiate emotional experience. In an investigation of this model, subjects recalled past experiences associated with each of 15 emotions, and rated them along the proposed dimensions. Six orthogonal dimensions, pleasantness, anticipated effort, certainty, attentional activity, self-other responsibility/control, and situational control, were recovered, and the emotions varied systematically along each of these dimensions, indicating a strong relation between the appraisal of one's circumstances and one's emotional state. The patterns of appraisal for the different emotions, and the role of each of the dimensions in differentiating emotional experience are discussed.

Fear shapes information acquisition in decisions from experience

“…This possibility would conform with appraisal tendency theories of emotions (Lerner & Keltner, 2000;Smith & Ellsworth, 1985), according to which a person's emotional state leads to a specific cognitive appraisal of the environment and, in turn, to specific behavioral reactions. Cognitive appraisals are made along several dimensions, including perceived certainty (i.e., degree of subjective certainty about what is going on in the environment), situational control (i.e., degree to which a person feels the situation is controlled by circumstances versus by a human agent, including herself), and anticipated effort (i.e., degree to which a person feels that she needs to exert effort to deal with the situation).…”

“…1 How does a fearful state-relative to a default (mildly positive) one-change a person's appraisals of the situation? Fear has been shown to trigger appraisals of low certainty, high situational control, and high anticipated effort (Smith & Ellsworth, 1985). A plausible compensatory response to these appraisals would be more exploration of the environment.…”

“…Roseman (1984) proposed five dimensions, Smith and Ellsworth (1985) eight. Of these, six were found to differ between emotions.…”

An appraisal theory of empathy and other vicarious emotional experiences.

“…In some of their early research, appraisal theorists tried to find combinations of appraisals that could map out typical emotional experience (Scherer, 1984;C. A. Smith & Ellsworth, 1985). As one example, C. A.…”

“…For example, the appraisal of perceived effort differentiates frustration from boredom and challenge from happiness (C. A. Smith & Ellsworth, 1985). Observers who have experience with tasks are likely to appraise them as less effortful than targets who are trying them for the first time.…”