A fascinating but risky case of reverse inference: From measures to emotions! Sylvain Delplanque & David Sander. (September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Thomson, David M.H.
• Is Part Of: Food quality and preference. Volume 92(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-09
• Subjects: Components of emotion -- Reverse inference fallacy; Food preferences -- Periodicals; Food -- Quality -- Periodicals; Food industry and trade -- Quality control -- Periodicals; Préférences alimentaires -- Périodiques; Aliments -- Qualité -- Périodiques; Aliments -- Industrie et commerce -- Qualité -- Contrôle -- Périodiques; Food industry and trade -- Quality control; Food preferences; Food -- Quality; Periodicals; 664
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2021.104178
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0950-3293

Abstract

Highlights: Discussion of the Component Process Definition of Emotion and Feeling, and its inferences for emotion measurement. Quality and intensity of emotions can't be predicted from a single neurophysiological parameter. There's more to emotion that the subjectively experienced feeling. There's no single objective or subjective measure that captures an instance of emotion holistically and in its entirety. Abstract: Based on Klaus Scherer's Component Process Definition of Emotion and Feeling, Delplanque & Sander's opinion piece describes the various components of the Scherer model and why any inferences drawn regarding the quality and intensity of an instance of emotion that are based solely on a single component of the model (i.e. by making a reverse inference) are likely to be fallacious. This commentary reviews some of the opinions expressed by Delplanque & Sander and considers the implications of what they describe as the 'reverse inference fallacy', in the context of academic and commercial emotion measurement. Beyond this, two important conclusions may be drawn: Emotion is more than the subjectively experienced feeling associated with the instance of emotion. There's no single objective or subjective measure that captures an instance of emotion holistically and in its entirety.