Cannon-Bard Theory
The Cannon-Bard theory is a psychological concept developed by Walter Cannon and Philip Bard in the 1920s. It proposes that emotions arise from physiological reactions to external stimuli rather than being caused solely by cognitive appraisal, as suggested by the James-Lange theory. The two theories differ significantly in their views of how emotion is experienced. According to Cannon-Bard theory, when we experience an emotional response, it occurs simultaneously with both our physiological arousal (e.g., heart rate) and our conscious awareness of the situation that has triggered this response. In other words, according to this model, there are two separate pathways involved in generating an emotional reaction: one involving physical changes such as increased heart rate or sweating, and another involving cognition, which helps us interpret what these physical sensations mean for us emotionally.
This idea differs from James-Lange's approach because it suggests that emotions do not always follow directly from bodily responses; instead, they can be affected by thoughts about the situation at hand before any kind of conscious evaluation takes place. Thus, while both theories suggest that physiology plays a role in triggering emotions, Cannon-Bard argues that cognitive processes also play a part in producing an emotional reaction before any sort of bodily arousal occurs. This means people have more control over their feelings than previously thought, allowing them to choose how they respond to situations based on their interpretation of events rather than simply reacting automatically due to physiological changes alone.