Theory and Measurement of Type 1 and Type 2 Emotions

Rossiter and Bellman (2005) define two types of emotions, and this article describes how they should be measured. Type 1 emotions (e1) are automatically elicited “basal” emotions that do not require cognitive appraisal—pleasure, arousal, and possibly dominance—which should be measured on a continuous scale. Self-reports are valid although arousal is more reliably measured by skin conductance (GSR). Type 2 emotions (e2) consist of complex, differentiated emotions that do require cognitive appraisal (e.g. love, anger, contempt, empathy, nostalgia, and desire). Since cognitive labelling can show considerable variation, cross-culturally, and individually, type 2 emotions should be measured as binary (present: yes, no), using self-report ratings. A new study by Rossiter and Bellman (2007) demonstrates that binary type 2 emotions reflecting steps of attachment to the brand are important predictors of brand buying and brand loyalty.