Cognitive organization of emotion: differences between labels and descriptors of emotion in jealousy situations.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether the cognitive organization of labels of emotion differs from descriptions of affective states. This was done in the context of determining whether the attributions of labels of emotion and descriptions of affective responses in jealousy situations differed according to the status of the interloper, presence of an audience to the untoward behavior, and sex of the respondent. The subjects, 300 male and female junior college students, read vignettes which placed them at a party where their mates passionately kissed interlopers of varying status, and whose transgressions were, or were not, observed by others.