TY - JOUR
AU - Lang, Peter J.
AB - Emotional reactions are organized by underlying motivationalstates—defensive and appetitive—that have evolved to promote thesurvival of individuals and species. Affective responses were measuredwhile participants viewed pictures with varied emotional and neutralcontent. Consistent with the motivational hypothesis, reports ofthe strongest emotional arousal, largest skin conductanceresponses, most pronounced cardiac deceleration, and greatestmodulation of the startle reflex occurred when participants viewed picturesdepicting threat, violent death, and erotica.Moreover, reflex modulation and conductance change varied witharousal, whereas facial patterns were content specific. Thefindings suggest that affective responses serve differentfunctions—mobilization for action, attention, and socialcommunication—and reflect the motivational system that isengaged, its intensity of activation, and the specific emotionalcontext.
TI - Emotion and Motivation I: Defensive and Appetitive Reactions in Picture Processing
JF - Emotion
DO - 10.1037/1528-3542.1.3.276
DA - 2001-09-01
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/american-psychological-association/emotion-and-motivation-i-defensive-and-appetitive-reactions-in-picture-7C6rBhMj17
SP - 276
EP - 298
VL - 1
IS - 3
DP - DeepDyve
ER -