The experimental study of the concepts of emotion

Abstract

The study of emotions is a field of interesting theoretical debates and constant methodological innovation. This work presents an overview of the historical evolution of the experimental study of emotions and shows how the field has moved from a focus on physiological and expressive aspects to theories that reveal the approach to the concepts of emotion. As an example, we present an empirical study on emotion concepts based on a repeated measures experimental design. The results show that people tend to attribute causality to concepts of emotion to a greater extent than to concepts not related to emotion. As such, the events that precede emotions and the consequences of the latter are of considerable relevance in emotional perception. These results contribute to our understanding of the role that emotion concepts play in people’s adaptation to their environment.