Figure 4.

Emotional–cognitive simplified dynamic model. This figure shows the scheme for processing stimuli. (A) If the stimulus is novel, both for the species and the individual, there will be no innate expectation-response network. In that case, the inhibition signal for the emotional system will be disabled, which in turn will display an emotion to activate advanced cognitive systems, thus starting the search for a new and more effective response. (B) The emotion stays active throughout the response-search process, but is gradually inhibited as the expectation-response set becomes increasingly effective. (C) Once an effective expectation-response is developed, the more it is automated, or the more the predictive systems are fine-tuned for expectation generation, the more the emotion becomes unnecessary and, therefore, will be completely inhibited. (D) But the emotional network does not disappear; it remains inhibited as a contingency element in the event of the response becoming newly ineffective.