Brilliant Blog

Magda B. Arnold's Contributions to Emotion Research and Theory

Magda B. Arnold (1903-2002), is a pioneering figure of 20th Century emotions research whose pathbreaking and comprehensive theory of emotion is an ambitious fusion of research in cognition, motivation, neuroscience, and personality. Contributors' reviews and critiques of Arnold's work offer a panorama of 20th Century emotion science, revealing where progress has been made, particularly in understanding appraisal processes, and highlighting issues that emotions researchers continue to grapple with, especially questions concerning emotion and value, optimal human functioning, and the complexity of affective and motivational pathways in the brain.

Initially drawn to study emotion in the early 1940s because of her interest in personality psychology, Magda Arnold became a leader in the revival of the psychology of emotion, long neglected while behaviourism was the prevailing paradigm. Arnold's life story is no less complex and inspiring than her multifaceted view of human emotion. She was a woman in a field substantially dominated by men, a devout Roman Catholic at a time when the scientific objectivity of Catholic scholars was questioned, and an immigrant, first to Canada and then the U.S., whose early life had provided her with no advantages and little opportunity.

Contributors provide insight into the intellectual forebears and theoretical scope of Arnold's emotion theory, and apply her insights to illuminate pressing questions that face contemporary researchers of emotion, motivation, and affective neuroscience.

Published November 01 2006 by Psychology Press.

Magda B. Arnold's Contributions to Emotion Research and Theory

• Edited by Stephanie Shields, Arvid Kappas

Magda B. Arnold (1903-2002), is a pioneering figure of 20th Century emotions research whose pathbreaking and comprehensive theory of emotion is an ambitious fusion of research in cognition, motivation, neuroscience, and personality. Contributors' reviews and critiques of Arnold's work offer a panorama of 20th Century emotion science, revealing where progress has been made, particularly in understanding appraisal processes, and highlighting issues that emotions researchers continue to grapple with, especially questions concerning emotion and value, optimal human functioning, and the complexity of affective and motivational pathways in the brain.

Initially drawn to study emotion in the early 1940s because of her interest in personality psychology, Magda Arnold became a leader in the revival of the psychology of emotion, long neglected while behaviourism was the prevailing paradigm. Arnold's life story is no less complex and inspiring than her multifaceted view of human emotion. She was a woman in a field substantially dominated by men, a devout Roman Catholic at a time when the scientific objectivity of Catholic scholars was questioned, and an immigrant, first to Canada and then the U.S., whose early life had provided her with no advantages and little opportunity.

Contributors provide insight into the intellectual forebears and theoretical scope of Arnold's emotion theory, and apply her insights to illuminate pressing questions that face contemporary researchers of emotion, motivation, and affective neuroscience.

ISBN: 9781841699868

Published November 16 2006 by Psychology Press.

Jon Barron's blog highlighted this recent press release from The Society for Neuroscience. For decades, it was believed that the adult brain did not produce new neurons after birth. But that notion has been dispelled by research in the last ten years. It became clear by the mid- to late-1990's that the brain does, in fact, [...]

Some days ago we mentioned attention deficits and executive functions, as part of a review of Cognitive Neuroscience and Education. Let me explore that in more depth now, having just met a number of very interesting researchers, doctors and experts at CHADD conference, and witnessed the first baby steps of a coming revolution. First, 3 clarifications are in [...]

I just found a great description of how we remember in the Brain Backgrounders at The Society for Neuroscience: At first the activity of various chemicals provides knowledge with a temporary occupancy in the brain, lasting for a few minutes. The memory is in its “short-term” phase. This fresh information is evicted and forgotten unless essential [...]

What do you see? Keep looking at it … Hint: You should be able to perceive two different images. Brain Science: This image is an example of an ambiguous illusion - a picture or object that requires perceptual switching between the alternative interpretations of figure and ground. And although you may be able to switch back and forth to see [...]

Last day of CHADD. Yesterday, we had 2 great presentations by Dr. Torkel Klingberg on Cogmed working memory training program, RoboMemo, very well received by a large audience. Today, many meetings on executive functioning, working memory training, frontal lobes, and even dopamine, with the Cogmed team, some of Cogmed´s licensees such as Dr. Arthur Lavin from [...]

Sandy at the Mouse Trap blog has a good post on Cognitive programs that keep you fit, mentioning 2 papers recently published on 2 separate interventions for the elderly. One, Posit Science’s for training of auditory processing-you can find the link to the paper in Sandy’s post. For the other, you can read an article [...]

Great day at CHADD today. Very good conversations on Brain Fitness with Dr. Torkel Klingberg and the Cogmed team, pediatricians such as Dr. Arthur Lavin, who was the first clinical provider of Cogmed Working Memory Training in the US, and neuropshychologist Dr. Sam Goldstein-this conversation around how biofeedback devices can help golfers better manage their [...]

Posit Science has just started offering good information on Brain Fitness in their site. Including a good article on the “Crossword myth”, which we touched on 2 weeks ago with Brain Coach Answers: Aren’t crosswords and sudoku sufficient brain exercise?. A number of sites and blogs, including us, may slightly disagree with their claim that “This free [...]

Posit Science has just started offering good information on Brain Fitness in their site. Including a good article on the "Crossword myth", which we touched on 2 weeks ago with Brain Coach Answers: Aren’t crosswords and sudoku sufficient brain exercise?. A number of sites and blogs, including us, may slightly disagree with their claim that "This free [...]

Management Alvaro Fernandez, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder. Alvaro holds an MBA and MA in Education from Stanford University. Alvaro started his career in McKinsey & Company in Europe and has participated in the launch of e-commerce company Bertelsmann Online, the turnaround of e-learning software company Docent, Inc (now SumTotal Systems, SUMT), and the launch of [...]

Landed in Chicago a few hours ago, and will write a longer update during the weekend on what is going on here with Cogmed Working Memory Training, RoboMemo, one of the most solid (but demanding) Brain Fitness Programs we have come across. Today me met the Swedish team and most of the 15 US-based clinicians who have [...]

The Houston Chronicle ran an interesting story the other day that adresses a number of common perceptions about menopause. The one that caught our attention is: The hormonal changes of menopause turn your brain to mush. Unproven. There is some evidence that women with low estrogen levels experience faster cognitive decline, and women who take estrogen supplements [...]

The Houston Chronicle ran an interesting story the other day that addresses a number of common perceptions about menopause. The one that caught our attention is: The hormonal changes of menopause turn your brain to mush. Unproven. There is some evidence that women with low estrogen levels experience faster cognitive decline, and women who take estrogen supplements [...]

New issue of a fun way to look at Headlines from the Brain and Mind Blogsphere. Thanks to Kevin at his Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ’s Corner) blog.

Stephanie at Idealawg alerts us of a recent  article, titled "A Brain-based Approach to Coaching", that serves as follow-up to the one we wrote about on the "Neuroscience of Leadership". The authors, David Rock and Jeffrey Schwartz, are hosting a a free webinar on Thursday November 2, 2006, from 2 to 3 PM Eastern. One quote from their article: [...]

“From a mind-body perspective, anything you do successfully on the physical end will positively affect your mental and emotional states.” commented Jenny Susser, Ph.D., a sports psychologist at the Women's Sports Medicine Center at New York City's Hospital for Special Surgery, a leading center for sports medicine. The article Dance Your Way To A Better [...]

See this interview today. Quote: "By 76, most directors have put their heavy lifting behind them, their pace slowing, the quality of their films waning. Not Clint Eastwood." Clint Eastwood: "My father always said you've got to keep learning, keep expanding or you will decline the other way. I've always adhered to that." Wise words. I would add that [...]

Short answer … yes! Now the longer answer … “On measures of mental sharpness, older people who ate more than two servings of vegetables daily appeared about five years younger at the end of the six-year study than those who ate few or no vegetables.” The Associated Press reported on this Chicago-based, 6-year study of healthy seniors aged 65 and [...]