Feeling and thinking: Preferences need no inferences
Zajonc argues against theories in which affect follows cognition. Findings on preferences, attitudes, impression formation and decision making suggest that affective judgements can be largely independent of cognition and can occur before the perceptual and cognitive processes usually assumed to underlie them. Emotional reactions are often a person's first responses and are often held with more confidence than cognitive judgements. American Psychologist 35(2), 1980; author Robert B. Zajonc.
Zajonc argues against theories in which affect follows cognition. Findings on preferences, attitudes, impression formation and decision making suggest that affective judgements can be largely independent of cognition and can occur before the perceptual and cognitive processes usually assumed to underlie them. Emotional reactions are often a person's first responses and are often held with more confidence than cognitive judgements. American Psychologist 35(2), 1980; author Robert B. Zajonc.
Written from the abstract from the OpenAlex record (DOI lookup), 2026-11-03; full text not read.
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Zajonc, R. B. (1980). Feeling and thinking: Preferences need no inferences. American Psychologist, 35(2). doi:10.1037/0003-066X.35.2.151 https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.35.2.151