AP Psych - 4.7 - 4.8

Motivation

A need or desire that energizes and directs behavior

How many theories are there to describe motivation?

4

Instinct Theory

Theory to describe motivation. A complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species is unlearned. —> Humans are motivated by actions that increase our chances of surviving and passing on our genetic code.

Drive reduction theory

Theory to describe motivation - idea that a physiological need creates an aroused state/drive that motivates organism to satisfy the need. — Basic bodily requires have to be met to satisfy homeostasis

Arousal Theory

Theory to describe motivation — desire to feel something. Works with incentives and the Yerks-Dodson law.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Works with the motivation arousal theory —> principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a certain point, beyond which performance decreases. Moderate arousal leads to peak performance. Too much arousal hinders us, and too little and we do not feel compelled or challenged enough.

• You perform at your best when there is a satisfying amount of anxiety.

• A little bit of arousal is necessary to achieve our goals

Hierarchy of needs (motivation theory)

Theory to describe motivation — Maslow says we are motivated to make our way up the triangle.

Affilliation need

the need to build and maintain relationships and to feel a part of a group

Self-determination theory

the theory that we feel motivated to satisfy our needs for competence, autonomy and relatedness. When these are met, people experience greater motivation, well-being and personal growth. External pressures or lack of fufillment can lead to lower motivation

Autonomy

we are motivated to have control over our own actions

Competence

We are motivated to feel effective and capeable

Relatedness

We are motivated to have a sense of connection with others

Instrinsic motivation

The desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake

• Motivated within yourself – to achieve things based on your own desire

• Motivated to help siblings because it's the right thing to do 

• The more intrinsic motivation you build, the more successful

• Builds more GRIT

Extrinsic Motivation

the desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid a threatened behavior

• Desire to accomplish things based on awards we might receive or punishments we might avoid. 

• Ex: Motivated to help siblings to earn an allowance. 

• Short lived, doesn’t have the same ability to maintain as intrinsic.

Achievement Motivation

A desire for significant accomplishment, for mastery of skills of ideas, for control and for attaining a high standard. 

GRIT

• in psychology, passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals.

  • Your perseverance

  • Your work ethic to work through difficult situations

  • Built mostly from intrinsic motivation

Set point

The point at which the ‘weight thermostat’ may be set. When the body falls below this weight, increased hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may combine to restore lost weight

• Recognition that all our bodies have a proper weight. Ideal weight for each person. 

• Fall too far below, body tells you you are hungry, go beyond set point, you feel full. 

• Most people’s set point is not slim like models. 

• If you eat like you’re supposed to, you feel hungry and eat. 

• Determined by genetics or family history 

Emotion

A response to the whole organism, involving physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and most importantly, conscious experience resulting from one’s interpretations

How many theories are there that describe how emotions work?

3

James-Lange Theory

Theory of how emotions work — proposes that bodily arousal precedes emotion; first our heart races and then we feel fear.

• Arousal happens first, then the brain names what its experiencing.

Cannon-Bard Theory

How emotions work theory — bodily arousal and emotion occur simultaneously; my heart races and I feel fear that the same time.

• Arousal and Cognition happen at the same time, but two different tracks.

• Emotions are the result of the two, unaware tracks

Schachter-Singer (Two Factor) Theory

How emotions work theory — Arousal and cognition happen at the same time and constantly intertwine with each other. Accepted theory. When our arousal from one activity spills over into our emotional response for another, we have the spillover effect, which supports the two factor theory.

Spillover effect

Works with the Schachter-Singer theory. How emotions. behaviors, or events in a situation influence another situation.

• Ex: If someone has a stressful day and then takes it out on family at home, thats a negative spillover

• Ex: Feeling happy after receiving good news might lead to kindness toward strangers, a positive spillover.

Robert Zajonic and Joseph LeDoux

Emotion theorists — believed that emotions either take high or low roads, either going to cerebral cortex or limbic system. It doesn’t have to be cognition first.

Richard Lazarus

Emotion Theorist — belived that emotions start with appraisal (assess) of stimuli, sometimes unconsciously.

• Said there is a low and high road for emotions.

• Low Road Emotions - Fear and anger rely on physiological responses, and take quick roads to the amygdala (quick, instinctual).

• High Road emotions such as love and hate involve higher-order thinking, and go to the cerebral cortex (Slower, more complex)

• Ex: Pain perception - if you realize an object isn’t hard, the pain feels less intense

Carrol Izard

Emotion Theorist — Proposed 10 basic emotions. Joy, excitement, suprise, sadness, anger, disgust, contempt, fear, shame. and guilt, etc.

• Emotions fall into two dimensions

  • Valence (Positive/negative)

  • Arousal (High/low)

  • Basic emotions are universal and similar across cultures

Polygraph

a machine used in attempts to detect lies; measure emotion-linked changes in breathing, heart-rate and persperation. - Flawed, fear and joy have similar increase in heart rate.

• Lie detectors fail because emotions produce similar psychological effects

  • Taking the test itself makes you nervous

Facial Feedback Effect

the tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings such as fear, anger, or happiness.

• If you force your face to smile, then you’re more likely to feel happier

  • Experiment: Taped peoples mouth into a smile, people who had their faces taped reported higher levels of happiness later in the day.

  • Unhappy face - unhappy mood

  • Bored face - others get bored.

Behavior feedback effect

the tendency of behavior to influence our own and others thoughts, feelings, and actions.

• If we force ourselves to stand up straight and make eye contact, we may feel less depressed

• Behave in ways that are inconsistent with emotions, the emotions will follow

• Walk slouching, then rep[ort to have a worse day

• Confident walk, report higher levels of happiness throughout the day. 

• Will have effect on those around you – works for both facial and behavior effects