Emotions in conceptual spaces
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21591776 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marek Sikorski (0000-0002-6251-0183, Marche Polytechnic University, corresponding author), Ohan Hominis (0000-0003-3928-4779, Central European University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 2865-2891 |
| Publication date | 2025-08-18 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Philosophical Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0951-5089 • E-ISSN: 1465-394X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09515089.2024.2330477 |
| OpenAlex | W4393152830 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 63 |
The overreliance on verbal models and theories in psychology has been criticized for hindering the development of reliable research programs (Harris, 1976; Yarkoni, 2020). We demonstrate how the conceptual space framework can be used to formalize verbal theories and improve their precision and testability. In the framework, scientific concepts are represented by means of geometric objects. As a case study, we present a formalization of an existing three-dimensional theory of emotion which was developed with a spatial metaphor in mind. Wundt posits that the range of human emotion can be represented along three axes of basic emotions (pleasure/displeasure, excitement/inhibition, tension/relaxation), just as color vision can be represented using three basic colors. We use dimensions to represent basic emotions, points to represent emotional states, and regions to represent broader emotional concepts. We then compare our formalization to an existing structuralist formalization of Wundt’s theory. Further, we discuss the empirical predictions that our formalization generates, such as comparisons of similarity and intensity. We conclude by demonstrating how the tools developed in the conceptual space framework can be used to formulate a theory of emotion based on empirical observation
Cognitive science · Epistemology · Sociology · Emotions and Moral Behavior · Face Recognition and Perception · Philosophy · Psychiatry, Mental Health, Neuroscience · Psychology · Social Psychology
The Emotions
Outline of psychology.
Human Emotions
Addressing the theory crisis in psychology
The generalizability crisis
Prototype theory and compositionality
The World of Emotions is not Two-Dimensional
The brain basis of emotion
Scientists Lift the Lid on Reproducibility
Estimating the reproducibility of psychological science
Core affect and the psychological construction of emotion.
Theory Before the Test
Heterogeneity of Research Results
The Theory Crisis in Psychology
How Computational Modeling Can Force Theory Building in Psychological Science
Measurement Theory, Psychology and the Revolution That Cannot Happen
Thoughts on the relations between emotion and cognition
The jingle and jangle of emotion assessment
The relation between event processing and the duration of emotional experience
Projection, symmetry, and natural kinds
Induction, Conceptual Spaces and Ai
The uncertain connection between verbal theories and research hypotheses in social psychology
Understanding the Replication Crisis as a Base Rate Fallacy
Theorizing in sociology and social science
Fact, fiction, and forecast
Pleasure-arousal theory and the intensity of emotions
Dynamics of a stressful encounter
The lexical fallacy in emotion research
Registered Reports
Toward a consensual structure of mood
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |