The James-Lange theory suggests that an individual witnesses an event, has a physiological reaction, interprets the reaction and then has an emotional reaction as a response. You can demonstrate this theory with a simple picture activity. Prepare a series of pictures designed to elicit a reaction. Customize the pictures to the individuals you intend to test. For instance, if you are demonstrating the principle on school children, use pictures of popular celebrities, pictures of fun things in town and pictures of teachers and school faculty. Show your test group the pictures, while you watch the instantaneous facial reactions of your subjects, looking for subtle changes like a grin, frown or eye movements. These movements demonstrate the physiological response of the body to stimulus.
The Cannon-Bard theory suggests that an individual witnesses an event and then feels emotion and has a physiological response at the same moment. You can use pictures to demonstrate this theory, similar to the pictures you used for the James-Lange theory. Instruct your test group to respond by calling out the first emotion they feel, when they see each picture. After a few pictures, see if your test subjects start calling out emotions at the same time they show physiological reactions, such as eye movements, grinning or frowning.
The Two-Factor theory suggests that emotion derives from a process that involves witnessing an event, feeling a physiological reaction, rationalizing the reaction and then selecting an emotional reaction describing your rationalized reaction. This approach suggests that emotion is a subconscious cognitive process. You can use a list of words or pictures to demonstrate this effect. Read your list of words to your test subjects, or show them the pictures, watching for physiological reactions that are different from what you expect. For instance, you may say the principal's name to school-aged children and notice a negative response. When this happens, ask your subjects to explain the reason for their negative response. This activity demonstrates how a physiological reaction and cognitive reason work together to define an emotion.
Buffer Effect theory suggests that an individual feels more comfortable around peers, providing a buffer against negative emotions. You can demonstrate this theory by using a small test group. Isolate one individual and give her a complicated test. Watch her physiological responses while she takes the test, such as sweating, fidgeting and facial expressions. Give a similar test to a group of students but let them talk to each other while they take the test. Compare the physiological responses of the individual with the group. The difference in their emotional responses is an example of this buffer.