VALENCE (PSYCHOLOGY)

''Valence'', as used in psychology, especially in discussing emotions, means the intrinsic attractiveness (positive valence) or aversiveness (negative valence) of an event, object, or situation.^[1] The term is also used to characterize and categorize specific motions. For example, the emotions popularly referred to as "negative", such as anger and fear, have "negative valence". Joy has "positive valence".

Contents

Criterion for Emotion

Measurement

Footnotes

References

See Also

External Links

Criterion for Emotion

Valence is one criterion used in some definitions of emotion. The possible absence of valence is cited as a reason to exclude surprise from the list of emotions, though Ekman would include it, based on his extensive work in facial expressions.

Measurement

Valence could be assigned a number and treated as if it were measured, but the validity of a measurement based on a subjective report is questionable. Measurement based on observations of facial expressions, using FACS, and microexpressions (See Ekman.) or on modern functional brain imaging may overcome this objection.

Footnotes

1. Nico H. Frijda, The Emotions. Cambridge(UK): Cambridge University Press, 1986. p. 207

References

See Also

★ Paul Ekman

External Links

★ Appraising Valence