A gorilla beats on its chest in a dominance display when threatened. This act is the __________ component of emotion.
A) behavioral
B) autonomic
C) somatic
D) hormonal
E) emotional

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The beating of the chest is a physical/behavioral action that is used to display dominance and intimidate others, making it the behavioral component of emotion. The autonomic component refers to the physiological changes that occur (such as increased heart rate and sweating), the somatic component refers to the sensory and motor processes involved in emotional expression, and the hormonal component refers to the release of hormones (such as adrenaline) that can contribute to the emotional experience. None of these other components are directly involved in the chest beating behavior observed in gorillas.

A Gorilla Beats on Its Chest in a Dominance Display