Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
The Zajonc-LeDoux Theory suggests that some emotional responses, like fear, can occur automatically and without conscious thought. This means that we can experience an immediate fear response to a stimulus before we are even aware of what it is.
A part of the brain responsible for processing emotions, including fear. It plays a key role in the automatic fear response described by the Zajonc-LeDoux Theory.
Fight-or-flight response: An instinctive physiological reaction where your body prepares itself to either confront or flee from a perceived threat. It is closely linked with the immediate fear response proposed by the Zajonc-LeDoux Theory.
Unconscious processing: Mental processes that occur outside of our awareness or conscious control. According to the Zajonc-LeDoux Theory, our automatic emotional responses happen through unconscious processing before we consciously identify and interpret the stimulus.