EM.7: Deep Dive – Part 4: At the Movies -The Cognitive-Mediational Model at the Movies

Approximate reading time: 3 minutes

Once again, imagine you are back at the movie theatre, settling into your seat with popcorn in hand, ready to watch a new thriller movie. The lights dim, the movie starts, and you find yourself immersed in the story.

1. Stimulus: On the screen, there’s a sudden twist in the plot. The hero is unexpectedly betrayed by their closest ally.
2. Cognitive Appraisal: As you watch this betrayal unfold, your mind quickly interprets and assesses the situation. You think to yourself, “This is so unfair and unexpected. The hero must feel devastated!”. Your appraisal of the situation is that it’s unjust and shocking.
3. Emotional Response: Based on your cognitive appraisal of the betrayal, you feel a surge of empathy and anger. Your emotion is not a direct result of the scene, but one of your personal interpretation and judgment of the events on the screen.
4. Physiological Response: Following the emotional response of anger and empathy, you might notice a change in your physiological state — perhaps your brows furrow, and your grip on the popcorn tightens.

In this example, the cognitive mediational model highlights that the emotion you felt (anger and empathy) was mediated (influenced or determined) by your cognitive appraisal of the betrayal in the movie. Your emotional experience wasn’t a direct reaction to the plot twist; instead, it was shaped by your personal interpretation of the events. This demonstrates the central premise of the cognitive mediational model — that our cognitive appraisal (our evaluation or interpretation) of a situation is crucial in determining our emotional response.