AP Psychology: Motivation, Emotion and Personality

motivation

all the processes involved in starting, directing and maintaining physical and psychological activities.

instinct

innate, biologically based behaviors

drive-reduction theory

the idea that a physiological need creates an aroused tension state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need.

homeostasis

A tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level. regulation.

Incentive

A theory of motivation stating that behaviors are motivated by the desire to attain rewards and avoid punishments.

hierarchy of Needs (Maslow)

human needs: physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness and love, esteem, and self-actualization.

glucose

the form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major source of energy for body tissues. When its level is low, we feel hunger.

set point

point at which an individuals weight thermostat is supposed to be set. when body falls below, increase hunger and lowered metabolism. Body falls above, decrease hunger and higher metabolism.

basal metabolic rate

the body's resting rate of energy expenditure. how many calories you burn by doing normal function (not exercising)

anorexia nervosa

an eating disorder in which a normal-weight person diets and becomes significantly underweight, yet, still feeling fat, continues to starve

bulimia nervosa

an eating disorder characterized by episodes of overeating, usually of high-calorie foods, followed by vomiting, laxative use, fasting, or excessive exercise

binge-eating disorder

significant binge-eating episodes, followed by distress, disgust, or guilt, but without the compensatory purging, fasting, or excessive exercise that marks bulimia nervosa

sexual response cycle

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

refractory period

(1) a period of inactivity after a neuron has fired. (2) a resting period after orgasm, during which a man cannot achieve another. (not in women)

Estrogen

sex hormone, secreted in greater amounts by female than male

testosterone

sex hormone, secreted in greater amounts by males than females

sexual orientation

an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions to men, women, or both sexes, also refers to a person's sense of identity based on those attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a community of others who share those attractions.

arousal theory (Yerkes-Dodson Law)

we have an optimal level of arousal that allows us to be at our best and we seek to be at that level, different for everyone.

instinct theory

William James Development theory. Everything we do we're motivated by ________, innate. Biological based behaviors that lead to survival.

drive

Biologically instigated motivation. A state of tension is created, which humans will seek to correct.

motive

motivational process that is learned

obesity

having an excess amount of body fat

Alfred Kinsey

US biologist and psychologist most known for his research regarding human sexual behavior. He and his research staff collected over 18,000 interviews with men and women about their sexual behaviors, actions, taboos, and desires.

general adaptation syndrome

the process your body goes through when you are exposed to any kind of stress, positive or negative. It has three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. If you do not resolve the stress that has triggered GAS, it can lead to physical and mental health problems.

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)

A prolonged and severe stress reaction to a scary event (chronic stress). Anxiety disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience.

stress

a physical and mental response to a challenging or threatening situation.

emotion

conscious mental reactions. 4 part process: physiological arousal, cognitive interpretation, subjective feelings, and behavioral expression. Universal.

James-Lange Theory

the theory that emotion results from physiological states triggered by stimuli in the environment. Arousal comes before emotion.

Cannon Bard theory

theory proposing that an emotion-provoking event leads simultaneously to an emotion and to bodily reactions. emotion and arousal at the same time

two-factor theory

Schachter's theory that to experience emotion one must (1) be physically aroused and (2) + cognitively label the arousal

polygraph

a machine, commonly used in attempts to detect lies, that measures several of the physiological responses accompanying emotion (such as perspiration and cardiovascular and breathing changes).

facial feedback

the effect of facial expressions on experienced emotions

Catharsis

anything that can POSITIVELY get rid of emotion. a release.

feel good, do good phenomenon

people's tendency to be helpful when in a good mood

well-being

a positive state that includes striving for optimal health and life satisfaction

adaption-level phenomenon

our tendency to form judgments relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience

relative deprivation

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

emotional wheel

Robert Plutchik- a circular graph that depicts the range of human emotions and how they relate to one another. Additionally, his circumplex model makes connections between the idea of an emotion circle and a color wheel. Like colors, primary emotions can be expressed at different intensities and can mix with one another to form different emotions.

seven basic emotions

Ekman: sadness, fear, anger, disgust, contempt, happiness, and surprise

Lateralization of emotion

The left hemisphere of the brain plays more of a role in processing positive emotions and the right hemisphere plays more of a role in processing negative emotions.

Cognitive Appraisal Theory

we will look back at a situation and decide how to feel.

Opponent-Proccessing Theory

we trigger one emotion by suppressing its opposite emotion.

autonomic nervous system (ANS)

A nervous system that controls cardiac muscles, smooth muscles, and glands. Carries out actions involuntarily. Regulates heart rate, digestion, and pupil contraction.

sympathetic nervous system

The division of the automatic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations. fight or flight

Para sympathetic nervous system

The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy. Reflex. A simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response.

two-pathway of fear

a fast "low road" from the thalamus to the amygdala, and a slower "high road" that passes from the thalamus to the neocortex and only then to the amygdala, said LeDoux.