Lazarus and his colleagues showed participants a film depicting an aboriginal puberty ritual where young boys had their penises cut with a jagged knife. As predicted, participants who saw a version of the film with what was called the trauma soundtrack experienced the highest levels of arousal, thus providing direct support for Lazarus's contention that _____________________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Lazarus's research emphasizes that our cognitive appraisal of a situation influences our emotional and physiological responses, including arousal. In this study, the interpretation (appraisal) of the film as traumatic, influenced by the soundtrack, led to increased arousal, supporting the idea that how we think about and interpret events affects how we emotionally respond to them.

Lazarus and His Colleagues Showed Participants a Film Depicting an Aboriginal