Cognition and emotion These two concepts have often been considered separately, although most people tend to think of them as aspects that are linked: emotion arises from the evaluation of cognitively processed information.
But it is also possible that emotional reactions are spontaneous and only after the emotion does the information processing arise that allows us to give meaning to these reactions. There have been many authors who have defended one position or another, and multiple models and theories have been developed. One of them is Robert Zajonc’s theory of affective primacy
To understand Robert Zajonc’s theory of affective primacy, it may be useful to briefly review the concept of emotion.
Defining the concept of emotion is really complex, since it is easy to confuse it with other terms and it has a large number of nuances to take into account. Broadly speaking, emotion can be defined as that type of affect or psychic state of short duration and linked to the stimulation that generates it that prepares us for certain types of action and allows us to adapt to the environment.
They can be considered subjective reactions, of physiological origin and directed towards a specific although unconscious purpose which allow us to mobilize the energies of our body in order to respond to external or internal phenomena and express our sensations.
This concept has been explored by multiple authors and there has sometimes been speculation about the relationship that emotion has with cognition. Some authors have considered that the first precedes the second, as expressed by Zajonc’s theory of affective primacy.
Zajonc’s theory of affective primacy: a controversial position
Zajonc’s theory of affective primacy proposes, unlike most theories on the matter, that Emotion and cognition are two processes that are independent of each other In fact, the theory proposes that the affective reaction to a stimulus or emotion arises and precedes the cognitive reaction or cognitive processing. And even, emotions can appear without any type of cognitive processing.
Zajonc is supported by the presence of differentiated structures that are responsible for emotional and cognitive processes, such as the limbic system and the basal ganglia and the frontal cortex.
This theory proposes different aspects that support part of its theoretical model and the author even proposes situations in which it is evident that the emotion arises before the information can be cognitively processed.
Aspects that support this theory
Zajonc’s theory of affective primacy is supported by different arguments, which reflect that it is true that emotion precedes cognition in some cases.
Firstly, one of the points at which we can contemplate how emotion can precede cognition is observed in our own development process. When we are babies we are still incapable of carrying out cognitive processing that allows us to interpret situations, but It has been shown that emotional reactions such as fear, anguish or satisfaction
Furthermore, while cognition develops slowly throughout development, basic emotions are active early, being largely innate and inherited from our ancestors.
Another point on which the theory of affective primacy is based is the fact that The emotional reaction to an event occurs faster than the period of time we need to process it cognitively. If, for example, we experience physical pain, our physical and emotional reactions will be immediate.
Brain and emotion
Based on biological arguments, Zajonc highlights that there are brain structures specialized in emotional processing and cognitive processing resulting in the subcortical structures being mostly linked to the emotional and the cortical structures to the cognitive.
Likewise, emotions can be generated through artificial methods without changing the subject’s cognition (as occurs with psychotropic drugs linked to mood disorders).
The fact that we cannot verbalize our affective states or why we have them is another of the points defended by the proposal of the theory of affective primacy: if we cannot explain them it is because we have not cognitively processed those sensations and why they are there.
Likewise, the fact that we can change our way of thinking without changing our feelings and emotions and vice versa is also highlighted. That is to say, I can change my way of thinking and want to change how I feel about it, but without success In the same way, I can feel a certain way about a specific topic even though on a cognitive level we evaluate it in a way that is discordant with our emotion.
Although broadly speaking today we tend to have a more cognitive vision and in which it is considered that there is a bidirectional relationship between cognition and emotion, the truth is that some aspects of Zajonc’s theory of primacy have been observed and taken into account.
It is even possible to consider that some phenomena have their origin in emotional processing prior to cognitive processing. For example, the mere exposure effect in which the fact of having contact with a certain stimulus or subject causes us to be more predisposed towards it without being able to determine why.
Today it is accepted that emotions can occur without conscious cognitive processing, but the idea that there is an independence between emotion and cognition is not completely accepted. In fact, The fact that there is no conscious processing of information does not mean that it is not carried out at an unconscious level which could generate phenomena such as intuition.
