Table 1.

Core Assumptions of Four Emotion Perspectives

	Basic	Appraisal	Psychological Construction	Social Construction
1. Are emotions unique mental states?	Yes	Yes	No	Varies by model
2. Are emotions caused by special mechanisms?	Yes (e.g., affect programs)	Varies by model	No (basic ingredients vary by specific model)	No
3. Is each emotion caused by a specific brain circuit?	Yes (subcortical circuit for each emotion)	No	No (distributed brain network for each ingredient)	No
4. Do emotions have unique manifestations (in face, voice, body state)?	Yes	Varies by model	No	No
5. Does each emotion have a unique response tendency?	Yes	In most models	No	No
6. Is experience a necessary feature of emotion?	Varies by model	Yes	Yes	No
7. What is universal?	Emotions are universal	Appraisals are universal	Psychological ingredients are universal	Influence of social context is universal
8. How important is variability in emotions?	Epiphenomenal	Varies by model	Emphasized	Present, but not central
9. Are emotions shared with non-human animals?	Yes	Some appraisals are shared	Affect is shared	No
10. How did the evolution shape emotions?	Specific emotions evolved	Cognitive appraisals evolved	Basic ingredients evolved	Cultural and social structure evolved