Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
This experiment was concerned with some of the cognitive effects of internal events. The objective was to ascertain whether the labeling of emotional stimuli would be affected by information concerning internal reactions. Ss viewed 10 slides of seminude females while hearing sounds that were allegedly their beats. 1 group of Ss heard their heart rates increase markedly to 5 of the slides and not change to the other 5; a 2nd group of Ss heard a marked decrease in the bogus rate to S of the slides and no change to the other S. In comparison with the slides to which Ss did not hear a change in the bogus rate, the slides to which they heard a marked change, whether increased or decreased, were (a) rated significantly more attractive during the experiment proper and during a disguised interview conducted 4-5 wk. later, and (b) chosen significantly more as remuneration for experimental participation. Although there is considerable evidence that emotional states are accompanied by physiological changes (Duffy, 1962; Woodworth Schachter Schachter Singer, 1963). In an attempt to account for the influence of autonomic arousal on emotional behavior, Schachter (1964) has emphasized the importance of the cognitive effects of internal events. Within his cognitive-physiological theory of emotion, physiological changes are considered to function as stimuli or cues and are represented cognitively as feelings or sensations. These feelings, in turn, arouse further cognitive activity in the form of attempts to identify the situation that precipi1 This research was conducted at Duke University while the author was a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow in the Research Training Program in Sciences Related to the Central Nervous System,
Stuart Valins (Sat,) studied this question.