Walter Cannon, later joined by Philip Bard, proposed the Cannon-Bard theory in 1927 as a direct challenge to the earlier James-Lange theory of emotion. Cannon argued that removing an animal's visceral nervous-system feedback does not eliminate its emotional behavior, that the same visceral changes accompany very different emotions, that internal organs carry too few sensory nerves to explain distinct felt emotions, and that visceral responses are too slow to produce the near-instant experience of an emotion.
Facts
Core ClaimPhysiological arousal and the subjective feeling of an emotion happen at the same time, both triggered independently by the thalamus, rather than bodily arousal causing the felt emotion as the James-Lange theory holds. 1 Connections
Rejected Here
Cannon's own five-point critique of James-Lange: removing visceral feedback does not eliminate emotional behavior, identical visceral changes accompany different emotions, viscera carry too few sensory fibers, and visceral responses are too slow to explain instant emotion.
Held Differently
Keeps Cannon-Bard's claim that arousal alone does not specify which emotion is felt, but adds that a cognitive label, drawn from the immediate situation, determines which emotion arousal is experienced as.
Developed By
In Branch
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Cannon-Bard Theory
Wikimedia FoundationCannon's critique of James-LangeQuote, Cannon's critique of James-Lange
These physiological changes can be seen in great excitement under any circumstances, including in distinguishable emotional states such as fear and rage, as well as situations of fever, asphyxia, and exposure to cold temperatures.
Frequently Asked Questions
What role does the thalamus play in the Cannon-Bard theory of emotion?
The thalamus triggers the felt emotion and the bodily arousal at nearly the same moment.
The Cannon-Bard theory holds the thalamus, not the body, as the coordinating center for an emotional reaction: when the thalamus discharges, it sends signals to the cortex that produce the felt emotion and signals to the body that produce the physical arousal at almost the same moment, so neither causes the other. This is why the theory is also called the thalamic theory of emotion.
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