According to theories of emotion, Romeo and Juliet's sonnet suggests that love at first sight is best explained by which of the following perspectives?

• A. The Cannon-Bard theory, which states that emotional and physiological responses occur simultaneously
• B. The two-factor theory (Schachter-Singer), which emphasizes that emotion results from physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation
• C. The facial feedback hypothesis, which claims that facial expressions alone determine emotional experience
• D. The James-Lange theory, which proposes that physiological arousal precedes the emotional experience

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the key theories of emotion mentioned in the problem: Cannon-Bard theory, Two-factor theory (Schachter-Singer), Facial feedback hypothesis, and James-Lange theory.
2. Step 2: Identify the main idea behind each theory: Cannon-Bard suggests simultaneous emotional and physiological responses; James-Lange proposes physiological arousal comes first; Facial feedback focuses on facial expressions influencing emotions; Two-factor theory emphasizes that emotion arises from both physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation.
3. Step 3: Analyze the phrase 'love at first sight' in the sonnet, which implies an immediate emotional experience that involves both feeling aroused and interpreting that arousal as love.
4. Step 4: Match this analysis to the theory that best explains the combination of physiological arousal and cognitive labeling, which is the Two-factor theory (Schachter-Singer).
5. Step 5: Conclude that the Two-factor theory is the most appropriate perspective to explain the emotional experience described in Romeo and Juliet's sonnet.