Comment: Old Wine in New Bags—Suri and Gross's Connectionist Theory of Emotion is Another Type of Network Theory

Abstract

Suri and Gross's 2022 connectionist emotion theory can be considered as one version of a family of theories known as network theories of emotion. It presents similarities and differences with older versions of network theories. Like previous network theories and several other traditional emotion theories, however, the connectionist theory remains a reactive theory. The class of reactive theories can be meaningfully contrasted with a class of instrumental theories of which the goal-directed theory is a representative example. Although the latter theory does not deny the existence of emotion networks in memory, it does not grant them many causal powers, thereby seriously restricting their explanatory territory. Future research efforts may help disambiguate between both classes of theories.

Keywords

network theory goal-directed theory emotion theory

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bower

G. H.

(1981). Mood and memory. American Psychologist, 36(2), 129–148. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.36.2.129

Colombetti

(2009). From affect programs to dynamical discrete emotions. Philosophical Psychology, 22(4), 407–425. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515080903153600

Lang

P. J.

(1985). The cognitive psychology of emotion: fear and anxiety. In Tuma

A. H.

Maser

J. D.

(Eds.), Anxiety and the anxiety disorders (pp. 131–170). Erlbaum. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203728215-10

Lange

Dalege

Borsboom

van Kleef

G. A.

Fischer

A. H.

(2020). Toward an integrative psychometric model of emotions. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15(2), 444–468. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691619895057

Leventhal

(1984). A perceptual-motor theory of emotion. In Berkowitz

(Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 17, pp. 117–182). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0065-2601(08)60119-7

Lewis

M. D.

(2005). Bridging emotion theory and neurobiology through dynamic systems modeling. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 28(2), 169–194. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0140525×0500004x

Moors

(2017a). Integration of two skeptical emotion theories: dimensional appraisal theory and russell’s psychological construction theory. Psychological Inquiry, 28(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2017.1235900

Moors

(2017b). The integrated theory of emotional behavior follows a radically goal-directed approach. Psychological Inquiry, 28(1), 68–75. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2017.1275207

Moors

(2009). Theories of emotion causation: A review. Cognition and Emotion, 23(4), 625–662. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699930802645739

10.

Moors

(2022). Demystifying emotions: A typology of theories in psychology and philosophy. Cambridge University Press.

11.

Moors

Boddez

De Houwer

(2017). The power of goal-directed processes in the causation of emotional and other actions. Emotion Review, 9(4), 310–318. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073916669595

12.

Moors

Fischer

(2019). Demystifying the role of emotion in behaviour: toward a goal-directed account. Cognition and Emotion, 33(1), 94–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2018.1510381

13.

Suri

Gross

J. J.

(2022). What is an emotion? A connectionist perspective. Emotion Review . https://doi.org/10.1177/17540739221082203