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Constraints for emotion specificity in fear and anger: The context counts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 March 2001

GERHARD STEMMLER ,
MARCUS HELDMANN ,
CORNELIA A. PAULS  and
THOMAS SCHERER
GERHARD STEMMLER
Affiliation:
University of Marburg, Germany
MARCUS HELDMANN
Affiliation:
University of Marburg, Germany
CORNELIA A. PAULS
Affiliation:
University of Marburg, Germany
THOMAS SCHERER
Affiliation:
University of Marburg, Germany
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Abstract

We investigated psychophysiological responses to fear and anger inductions during real-life and imagination. Female participants (N = 158) were assigned to a fear-treatment, fear-control, anger-treatment, or anger-control group. Context (real-life, imagination) was varied in two sessions of fixed order. Eleven self-report and 29 somatovisceral variables were registered. Results showed that (a) except during anger imagination, control groups were emotionless; (b) in control groups, contexts prompted diverging somatovisceral responses, but similar emotion self-reports; except during fear imagination, the emotion inductions (c) were successful and (d) produced specific emotion reports; (e) during real-life, somatovisceral fear and anger responses exhibited a marked cardiovascular defense reflex; (f) in addition, real-life fear showed an adrenaline-like specific response pattern, whereas real-life anger showed specific forehead temperature and EMG extensor increases, accompanied by an elevated DBP during imagination. A Component Model of Somatovisceral Response Organization is proposed.

Keywords

EmotionSpecificityDefense reflexFearAngerContext
Type
Research Article
Information
Psychophysiology , Volume 38 , Issue 2 , March 2001 , pp. 275 - 291
Copyright
2001 Society for Psychophysiological Research

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