Which of the following statements about psychologists and the study of emotions is most accurate?

• A. Psychologists only study emotions in clinical populations, not in healthy individuals.
• B. Psychologists study emotions because they play a significant role in influencing behavior.
• C. Psychologists avoid studying emotions because they have little impact on behavior.
• D. Psychologists consider emotions to be purely biological and unrelated to psychological processes.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the role of psychologists in studying emotions. Psychologists investigate emotions because they are fundamental to human experience and influence various aspects of behavior and mental processes.
2. Step 2: Evaluate each statement by considering psychological research and theory. For example, psychologists study emotions in both clinical and healthy populations, so the statement limiting study to clinical populations is inaccurate.
3. Step 3: Recognize that emotions significantly influence behavior, decision-making, and social interactions, which is why psychologists focus on them.
4. Step 4: Note that psychologists do not avoid studying emotions; rather, emotions are a central topic in many psychological fields such as cognitive, social, and clinical psychology.
5. Step 5: Understand that emotions are viewed as both biological and psychological phenomena, involving brain processes and subjective experiences, so the idea that emotions are purely biological and unrelated to psychological processes is incorrect.