ABSTRACT
This chapter considers some general characteristics and definitions of emotions, and how they relate to cognition and bodily reactions. It focuses on learning elementary emotions, and the role of reinforcers. Emotions can globally be classified according to the criteria: valence and intensity, level of neural organization, level of experience and their subprocesses. Primary emotions are usually associated with lower structures in the brain stem and the limbic system, including the hypothalamus regulating basic instincts and drives like hunger and thirst. Regulation of secondary emotions, in turn, is attributed to higher areas in the neocortex. Practically all emotion theories are based on the assumption that an emotional experience results from a prior interpretation or evaluation of an antecedent event, which has a positive or a negative character. The expression side of emotions is most evident from behavior that occurs in intense emotions like fear, rage and aggressive behavior when angry.
