Zajonc believes that cognition and emotion are—

Robert Zajonc proposed that cognition and emotion are independent systems. In his influential 1980 paper 'Feeling and Thinking: Preferences Need No Inferences', Zajonc argued that affective reactions can occur without prior cognitive processing, suggesting that emotion and cognition are separate, independent systems. This view contrasted with cognitive theories that posited emotions are dependent on cognitive appraisals.