46 BEGINNING OF EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF EMOTIONS

The impetus for the experimental study of the senses was James's theory of emotions — Lange. In accordance with this theory, emotions play the role of comprehending physical organic transformations generated by perception of circumstances. The value of the James – Lange theory was that it found a wide scope for introducing physical methods of learning. The techniques with which the experimental study of the senses was connected according to their physical and organic features are called the common name, the “method of expression.” The method of expression involves the instrumental fixation of diverse motor and vegetative modifications that accompany emotional disturbances.

As objective indicators of feelings, failures in breathing were used (density, depth, form of breathing, duration of inhalation and exhalation), in the blood circulation (pulse rate, blood pressure, vascular volume, blood composition, cardiogram), other vegetative indicators: metabolic rate, salivation, sweating, chemical composition of saliva, skin temperature. From the technical means for fixing the breath used pneumograph and apparatus for recording the flow of air. The general result of the majority of experimental studies (A. Mosso, S. Feret, and others) was the conclusion that with the sensation of pleasure all the physical signs increase, increase, and with the feeling of displeasure they decrease and weaken.

Along with the method of formulation, the “method of impression” played a significant role in the study of feelings. Deep methodical development implemented G. Fechner. Significant for this method is the reception of an individual comparison and evaluation of several synchronous or gradually presented stimulations, on the basis of which an individual selects an external object to be elected or rejected. G. Fechner's experiments were combined mainly with an aesthetic assessment of diverse geometric configurations (rectangles, triangles, ellipses, etc.). In the future, all these methods were used in the laboratory of V. Wundt. The result of similar studies was the structuring for each of the subjects affective curves of pleasure and displeasure. In addition to the two main methods, they used all kinds of questionnaires, photographing and filming to record facial expressions, body positions and other expressive movements associated with the subject's feelings.

By the beginning of the XX century. another field of psychology was introduced to the experimental base. The educated experiential basis for developing the question of feelings allowed psychology together with other sciences (physiology and neurophysiology, psychophysiology and neuropsychology) throughout the subsequent period to build other peculiar methods that allowed to reveal many secrets and advance the knowledge of nature and the structure of emotions.