Psychology MCAT Practice Exam 2025 – Complete All-in-One Guide to Ensure Your Success!

The term "affect" specifically refers to the experience of feeling or emotion. In psychology, affect encompasses the observable expression of emotion as well as the internal experience of emotions. It can include a wide range of feelings such as happiness, sadness, anger, and excitement. Researchers often study affect to understand how emotions influence behavior, cognition, and social interactions.

The choice that indicates affect as a type of cognitive function does not accurately capture the essence of what affect involves since cognition relates more to processes such as thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving. Similarly, emotion differs from the experience of thoughts and beliefs; affect focuses on feelings rather than cognitive processes. Lastly, while behavior exhibited in social contexts might be influenced by affect, the term itself does not refer to behavior but rather to the emotional experience.