Wize University Psychology Textbook > Learning
Knowledge Emotions
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Knowledge Emotions
Theories of emotion
Functionalist theories - emotions serve a purpose to help us survive in the world.
Example: fear prepares us for fight or flight in dangerous situations.
Appraisal theories - emotions are caused by evaluations and judgments of what is going on around us and what it means for us.
Example: seeing a snake might cause fear if you are out in the wild in a place with dangerous snakes, but curiosity if you are at a reptile zoo.
Knowledge Emotions
Surprise - cues us that something is unexpected or different from its surroundings.
Interest - engages us with things that are novel or unusual. Interest provides intrinsic motivation to learn - motivation that comes from within.
Interest promotes faster, deeper, better, and more enjoyable learning.
Confusion - results from appraisal that the situation is unfamiliar and hard to understand.
Working through a problem that is confusing can result in deeper, more active learning.
Awe - fascination and wonder caused by profound experiences. Can result from shifting world views in response to new information or experiences.
Practice: Knowledge Emotions
Margaret's professor gives an assignment that has very few directions, and some of the directions that are there are conflicting. Which emotion is Margaret likely to experience?