Which two of the following statements best describe emotional appeals in psychology?

• A. Emotional appeals attempt to influence attitudes or behaviors by evoking feelings such as fear, happiness, or sadness.
• B. Emotional appeals are only effective when used in scientific research settings.
• C. Emotional appeals rely on logical reasoning and factual evidence to persuade an audience.
• D. Emotional appeals often bypass rational analysis and target the affective responses of individuals.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of emotional appeals in psychology. Emotional appeals are strategies used to influence people's attitudes or behaviors by targeting their emotions rather than relying on logical reasoning or factual evidence.
2. Step 2: Identify the key characteristics of emotional appeals. They typically evoke feelings such as fear, happiness, or sadness to persuade an audience.
3. Step 3: Recognize that emotional appeals often bypass rational analysis, meaning they do not primarily engage the logical or analytical parts of the brain but instead target affective (emotional) responses.
4. Step 4: Evaluate the given statements by comparing them to the characteristics of emotional appeals. Statements that mention evoking feelings and bypassing rational analysis align with the definition of emotional appeals.
5. Step 5: Exclude statements that incorrectly describe emotional appeals, such as those claiming they rely on logical reasoning or are only effective in scientific research settings, since these do not match the psychological understanding of emotional appeals.