Which theory explicitly claims that emotion results from the combination of arousal and cognitive labeling?

• A. Cannon-Bard theory
• B. James-Lange theory
• C. Cognitive appraisal theory
• D. Schachter-Singer theory

Answer: (D)

The idea being tested is that emotion comes from a two-step process: you first experience physiological arousal, and then you interpret or label that arousal using cognitive information from the situation. The Schachter-Singer two-factor theory argues that arousal by itself is nonspecific, and the specific emotion you feel depends on how you label that arousal in light of the surrounding context.

In practice, this means the same heightened arousal could be labeled as fear in a dark alley but as excitement at a party, depending on what you deem to be happening around you. The key point is that both components are necessary: the bodily arousal and the cognitive interpretation.

Other theories place emotion differently—for example, some say arousal and emotion occur together but independently, some say emotion arises from perceiving bodily changes, and others emphasize cognitive appraisal without tying emotion to a separate label of arousal. But only the two-factor view explicitly ties emotion to the combination of arousal and cognitive labeling, which is why it matches the question.