What does "affect" refer to in terms of emotional expression?

The term "affect" refers to the observable expression of emotions, which encompasses how individuals display their feelings through facial expressions, vocal tone, body language, and other outward behaviors. Affect is assessed in various contexts, particularly in psychology and mental health, to understand how a person's emotional state appears to others. When someone conveys joy, sadness, anger, or any other emotion, those observable behaviors are considered their affect.

The other options address concepts related to emotions but do not accurately describe "affect." The expression of thoughts pertains more to cognitive or intellectual articulations rather than emotional display. Indifference to circumstances suggests a lack of emotional response but does not reflect the active expression associated with affect. Suppression of feelings indicates a conscious effort to hide emotions, which counters the idea of observable emotional expression. Understanding affect is crucial in contexts such as mental health assessments, where recognizing variations in emotional expression can inform diagnosis and treatment.