Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
EMOTION vs. COGNITION: DIFFERENCES & INFLUENCES
Psychology
Emotion and cognition are integral aspects of the human condition. The average person, when asked, is quite likely to have a working definition and knowledge of emotions. Emotions are almost constant within human beings. Cognition may not be so easy to understand or be easy for define for the average person. Emotions can also be called feelings; there are affective aspects to emotions as well as biological, physical, and/or physiological aspects to emotion. Various feelings or emotions correspond to neurochemicals released in the brain due to particular stimuli. Such chemicals include dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenalin. Cognition refers strictly to mental processes that include different stages of attention, memory, problem solving, decision-making, computation, and language. Cognition and emotions can be conscious and unconscious. Certainly people use their cognitive skills in their waking lives, but psychological research shows that some of these functions are active during sleep. The pattern applies to emotions. People absolutely experience emotion during waking states, and sometimes emotions can be just as vivid or more vivid during sleep. Consider the feelings one has when awakening from a nightmare....
Though asleep, such an experience often leaves people feeling afraid, anxious, or otherwise. The paper will discuss more of the differences between emotion and cognition while additionally acknowledging and demonstrating that the two influence each other.
Cognition, on its most basic level, is thinking. When people demonstrate thought, they demonstrate cognition, cognitive abilities, and cognitive activities. Cognition comes naturally, but requires development and nurturing. Cognition also takes the form of behaviors -- behaviors that use and strengthen cognition. Many of us participate in cognitive behaviors even if we are unaware they are referred to as such. Such activities include anything that requires a sequence or series of steps such as following a recipe. It mostly refers to thinking or processes that are involved when achieving a task. The influence of cognition upon emotion is unique to every individual, but what is universal is that there is an influence. Cognition can trigger emotions; students who have too much homework may feel exhausted or worried about finishing it all. Lack and/or abundance of cognition may induce emotional reactions as well, as with people with mental health disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder. There are some autists who…
References:
Markus, H.R., & Kitayama, S. (1991) Culture and the Self: Implications for Cognition, Emotion, and Motivation. American Psychological Association, 98(2), 224 -- 253.
Phelps, E.A. (2006) Emotion and Cognition: Insights from Studies of the Human Amygdala. Annual Psychology Review, 57, 27 -- 53.
There are also instances where the cognition comes in first before emotional response though the two often happen in tandem. For instance, one gets into a coffee shop and sees another person munching a chocolate cake. H recognizes that as a health risk and processes the various risks an associated with eating it, but still goes ahead to ask for a small piece just to taste. The cognition came in
Increasing of skills and knowledge and even knowledge of the society cannot be possible without social interactions. That is the basis of the social cognitive theory as it brings together attitudinal and cognitive effects. The major forms of continuous learning are via the environment, the web, media houses and social communications. The intensity of the effect this new knowledge would have on people is dependent on their individual mindsets. Social
Emotions affect how memories are processed, stored, and retrieved, which also impacts how learning takes place. Perhaps more importantly, emotions impact cognitive processes and learning. Neuroscience shows the ways thoughts are processed depends on one's cultural context and also emotional states. Thinking styles may be also linked to the learning process, as Zhang & Sternberg (2010) point out, and thinking styles are themselves related to cultural variables. The ways people
Music & Cognition Music is a fundamental element of human culture that has been in existence nearly as long as humans have existed. Most people who listen to and appreciate music can personally attest to the power or influence music has. We listen to certain songs or types of music to reinforce or change our moods. Each person knows what songs will bring on a rush of memories or sensations that
Realizing that the sense of smell is extremely important in shaping perceptions about the quality of a good, techniques such as "scent-sory" branding have been developed to engage with shoppers on a sensory level and encourage emotional buying. Flavor trends are evolving as consumer demands become more complex) Other ways of implementing "emotional branding" is with what is known as 'sonic branding'. This process is designed to trigger an emotional response
Consonant and Dissonant Cognitions Define consonant and dissonant cognitions: Leon Festinger developed the theory of cognitive dissonance based on the "relationships among cognitions" (Rudolph, Ithaca.edu). A cognition is described as a "piece of knowledge" which may be a certain behavior, a value, an emotion or an attitude, according to Frederick M. Rudolph at Ithaca College in New York State. (Dissonance is defined simply as a state of conflict, tension or disagreement.) Meanwhile,