AP Psychology Motivation Emotion and Stress

Achievement Motivation

The drive an individual has to excel or outperform others at a particular task.

Affiliation Motivation

The drive an individual has to bond with and form relationships with others.

Approach-Approach Conflict

A type of decision-making in which an individual must choose between two options that both have appealing characteristics.

Approach-Avoidance Conflict

A type of decision-making in which an individual is must decide between options that have both positive and negative aspects.

Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict

A type of decision-making in which an individual must choose between two options with unappealing characteristics.

Cannon-Bard Theory

Emotional Resposne and physical reaction go together (e.g. seeing a snake feeling scared and then an increasing heartbeat)

Drive-Reduction Theory

Theory of motivation states that that individuals are motivated to satisfy a biological need (sleep, hunger, thirst) that they have been deprived of in order to reach a level of homeostasis.

Extrinsic Motivation

Refers to an individual's drive to engage in activities that will produce some type of external reward such as a trophy or money.

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

A theory that states that an individual's facial expressions impact the emotion the individual will feel. For example, those who are smiling will experience more positive emotions than those who are frowning.

Fight-or-Flight Response

A reaction to a stressful situation in which an individual decides to stay and face the stressor or flee and leave the stressor, both of which activate the sympathetic nervous system.

General Adaptation Syndrome

A theory for dealing with stress which contains three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

Hierarchy of Needs

Created by Abraham Maslow and states that individuals move from the bottom of the hierarchy while attempting to satisfy physiological needs then safety needs, then belongingness and love needs, self-esteem and finally self-actualization as they move up through the hierarchy.

Incentive Theory

A motivational theory that poses that behavior can be driven by the lure of a reward or other desirable external factor.

Intrinsic Motivation

The drive to engage in an activity based on internal factors such as interest or enjoyment rather than by an external or outside reward.

James-Lange Theory

Theory of emotion states that different physiological responses precede and create emotional responses.

Opponent Process Theory of Emotion

Theory of emotion that states that if an individuals feels an intense emotion it will be followed by the opposite emotion; this experience lessens with time and experience.

Primary Drive

A drive that satisfies a basic physiological need which is necessary for life such as food, water or oxygen.

Schachter-Singer Theory of Emotion (Two-Factor)

Theory of emotion is often referred to as the two-factor theory because it states that emotion is made up of two components, the first is the physiological reaction and the second is the cognitive appraisal and labeling of the appropriate emotion.

Secondary Drive

A drive that is not necessary for the maintenance of life but is desirable for an individual such as praise or money.

Self-Actualization

The highest levels of Maslow's hierarchy, at which individuals reach their greatest potential.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Proposes that you reach your peak level of performance with an intermediate level of stress, or arousal. Too little or too much arousal results in poorer performance. This is also known as the inverted-U model of arousal.

Biofeedback

A technique that involves developing voluntary control over physiological activities such as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure and muscle tension.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder

An obsessive-compulsive related disorder characterized by extreme concern and preoccupation with perceived bodily flaws such as weight or hair loss. This may be comorbid with disorders such as anorexia nervosa.

Catharsis

Initially proposed by Sigmund Freud and poses that by releasing one's aggressive urges, those urges would be reduced in the future.

Display Rules

The culturally specific rules for showing one's emotions and vary around the world.

Eustress

A type of positive stress that challenges an individual.

Grit

Refers to a long-standing personality characteristic in which a person does not give up in the face of setbacks. These characteristics has been associated with high levels of achievement.

Polygraph

Often referred to as a lie detector test, is used to measure a person's physiological arousal in response to questions in an effort to determine if the person is lying or telling the truth. Generally, these tests have not been found to be very accurate.

Subjective Well-Being

Refers to one's level of happiness and satisfaction self-reported by an individual.

motivation

the process by which activities are started, directed, and continued so that physical or psychological needs or wants are met.

extrinsic motivation

type of motivation in which a person performs an action because it leads to an outcome that is separate from or external to the person.

intrinsic motivation

type of motivation in which a person performs an action because the act itself is rewarding or satisfying in some internal manner.

instincts

the biologically determined and innate patterns of behavior that exist in both people and animals.

instinct approach

approach to motivation that assumes people are governed by insticts similar to those of animals.

need

a requirement of some material (such as food or water) that is essential for survival of the organism

drive

a psychological tension and physical arousal arising when there is a need that motivates the organism to act in order to fulfill the need and reduce the tension

primary drives

those drives that involve needs of the body such as hunger and thirst

acquired (secondary) drives

those drives that are learned through experience or conditioning, such as the need for money or social approval

stimulus motive

a motive that appears to be unlearned but causes an increase in stimulation, such as curiosity

arousal theory

theory of motivation in which people are said to have an optimal (best or ideal) level of tension that they seek to maintain by increasing or decreasing stimulation

Yerkes-Dodson law

law stating performance is related to arousal; moderate levels or arousal lead to better performance than do levels of arousal that are too low or too high. This effect varies with the difficulty of the task: Easy tasks require a high-moderate level whereas more difficult tasks require a low-moderate level

incentives

things that attract or lure people into action

incentive approaches

theories of motivation in which behavior is explained as a response to the external stimulus and its rewarding properties

self-actualization

according to Maslow, the point that is seldom reached at which people have sufficiently satisfied the lower needs and achieved their full human potential

anorexia nervosa

a condition in which a person reduces eating to the point that a weight loss of 15 percent below the ideal body weight or more occurs

emotion

the "feeling" aspect of consciousness, characterized by a certain physical arousal, a certain behavior that reveals the emotion to the outside world, and an inner awareness of feelings

James-Lange theory of emotion

theory in which a physiological reaction leads to the labeling of an emotion. I am afraid because I am shaking

Cannon-Bard theory of emotion

theory in which the physiological reaction and the emotion are assumed to occur at the same time. I am shaking and afraid at the same time

Singer and Schachter's Two Factor

theory of emotion in which both the physical arousal and the labeling of that arousal based on cues from the environment must occur before the emotion is experienced. That huge bear is dangerous and that makes me feel afraid

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Humanist theory of motivation that says we must first fulfill lower level needs before achieving personal fulfillment and self actualization

Achievement motivation

a desire for significant accomplishment: for mastery of things, people, or ideas; for attaining a high standard

Adaptation-Level Phenomenon

our tendency to form judgments (of sounds, of lights, of income) relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience

Aerobic exercise

Rhythmic, nonstop, moderate to vigorous activity that requires large amounts of oxygen

Coping

alleviating stress using emotional, cognitive, or behavioral methods

Emotion-focused coping

attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs related to one's stress reaction

Estrogen

Female sex hormone

Feel-good, do-good phenomenon

The tendency to be helpful when in a good mood

Flow

a completely involved, focused state of consciousness, with diminished awareness of self and time, resulting from optimal engagement of one's skills

General adaptation syndrome (GAS)

A model of the body's response to chronic stress; the three phases are alarm (fight-or-flight response), resistance, and exhaustion.

Glucose

A simple sugar that is an important source of energy.

Problem-focused coping

Attempting to alleviate stress directly by changing the stressor or the way we interact with that stressor.

Relative deprivation

the perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself

Sexual disorder

a problem that consistently impairs sexual arousal or functioning

Sexual orientation

an enduring sexual attraction toward members of either one's own sex (homosexual orientation) or the other sex (heterosexual orientation)

Sexual response cycle

the four stages of sexual responding described by Masters and Johnson - excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution

Stress

A nonspecific, emotional response to real or imagined challenges or threats; a result of a cognitive appraisal by the individual

Testosterone

Male sex hormone

Type A

competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people

Type B

easygoing, relaxed people

Drive Theory

behaviors driven to reduce internal tension; homeostasis; hunger/thrist

Expectancy Theory

What we think about what will happen in the future determines current behavior

Instinct Behaviour

We are evolutionarily programmed to behave in certain ways that ensure survival

Social Motivation

Notion that people in general have a motivation to engage/interact with other people

Emotional Contagion

We “catch” another person’s emotions by unconsciously engaging in motor mimicry

Acute Stress

Brief, on set is typically negative reactive thinking

Episodic acute stress

daily life; often rushed and feeling pressure

Chronic Stress

Most harmful form of stress; long term (e.g. people who are in poverty and food insecure)

Consciousness

Individual awareness of unique thoughts, memories, feelings, sensations, and environment that constantly shifts and changes.

Circadion Rhythm

Physical, mental, and behavioral changes that roughly follow a 24-hour cycle directed by light

Alpha Waves

Brain waves on one’s brain in both awake and sleep

Non Rapid Eye Movement Sleep

No dreams occur, deep sleep occurs at stages 3 and 4

Rapid Eye Movement SLeep

Deep sleep where vivid dreams occur

REM Rebound

tendency for REM sleep deprived individuals to enter REM quicker and at a higher rate. Withdrawal of REM sleep could lead to an increase of nightmares 

Insomnia

Recurring problems in falling/staying asleep

Narcolepsy

Sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks

Sleep Apnea

sleep disorder caused by a temporary cessation of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings 

Sleepwalking

Out of bed and movign while still sleeping

Night Teorrors

Occurs in Stage 4 sleep. Mainly tagrets children. Unlike nightmares these cannot be recalled and they terrify the individual when they happen

Nightmares

Bad Dreams

False Awakening

vivid and convincing dream about awakening from sleep, while in fact the dreamer continues to sleep

Incubus

Type of sleep paralysis where you feel an individual is on your chest/back

Intruder

Type of sleep paralysis Feeling that someone is in your room, watching you

Latent Content

All dreams have an underlying sexual meaning

Cardinal traits

Traits that dominate and shape a person’s outlook

Secondary Traits

Situational traits

Psychoanalysis

Freud’s theory that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts. 

Free assosciation

method to explore the unconscious, by relaxing and saying whatever comes to mind first, no matter how trivial or embarrassing

Unconscious

reservoir of mostly unacceptable feelings, thoughts, wishes, memories

Ego

mostly conscious part of personality; regulates between the demands of the id, superego and reality

Reality Principle

satisfy the desires of the id that will realistically bring pleasure not pain