You just finished a cup of very strong coffee, which causes your body to have a general feeling of arousal. That afternoon you walk past a cemetery where several people are crying at a graveside. According to Schachter and Singer, which of the following would most likely occur?
A) Your emotion would be happy in spite of the scene at the graveside.
B) You would work very hard to control your emotion.
C) Your emotion would be sad since the context would affect your labeling.
D) Your emotional state would be impossible to predict.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Schachter and Singer's two-factor theory, emotions involve both a physiological arousal and a cognitive interpretation or labeling of the arousal based on the context. In this scenario, the strong coffee has caused a general feeling of arousal in the body. When encountering the mourners at the cemetery, the interpretation of the arousal would be affected by the context, leading to a labeling of sadness rather than happiness or an unpredictable emotional state. Therefore, option C is the most likely occurrence.

You Just Finished a Cup of Very Strong Coffee, Which