PSYC 201: Chapter 10

Motivation & Emotion Part I & II

The 3 Components of Emotion

Physiological Arousal, Cognitive Appraisal, and Behavioral Reactions

Physiological Arousal

Autonomic bodily responses

Cognitive Appraisal

Interpreting/evaluating the event

Behavioral Reactions

Expressive actions

Fear vs. Anger Biochemical

Identical fight-or-flight arousal

Fear vs. Anger Behavioral

Fear causes retreat/avoidance; Anger causes forward movement/confrontation. Extreme anger renders individuals fearless.

Circumplex Model of Emotion

Categorizes emotions along two continuous axes: Valence and Arousal/Activation

Valence

Negative to Positive affect

Arousal/Activation

Low to High; energy base reaction

Plutchik's Primary Dyads

Mixed Emotions; Combinations of primary emotions create secondary ones (e.g. Joy + Trust = Love; Anticipation + Fear = Anxiety; Disgust + Anger = Contempt; Fear + Surprise = Awe)

Cognitive Signaler

Emotional states bias future judgments/appraisals.

Evaluative Space Model

Brain simultaneously processes positive and negative inputs to determine net action.

Alexithymia

A condition marked by the inability to identify, describe, and express one's own feelings, often confusing emotional states with raw bodily sensations. Highly prevalent in autistic individuals (~50–85%).

Limbic System Components

Thalamus, Hypothalamus, Hippocampus, and Amygdala

Thalamus

Sensory relay; biggest one via diagram

Hypothalamus

Homeostasis & pituitary control; second biggest, right under thalamus via diagram

Hippocampus

Long-term memory; long shaped under thalamus via diagram

Amygdala

Fear, aggression, and threat detection; hiding a little under hypothalamus via diagram

Humanistic Perspective (on Motivation)

ocuses on personal growth and achieving Self-Actualization driven by the need for achievement, goal-setting, self-discipline, and grit.

Self-Actualization

realizing full human potential

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Bottom to Top)

Physiological Needs; Safety Needs; Love and Belonging; Esteem Needs; Self-Actualization

Evolutionary Perspective (on Motivation)

Driven by biological and psychological adaptations passed down via natural selection to maximize reproductive success and species survival.

Natural Selection

Advantageous traits become more common across generations.

Fitness

Relative reproductive success compared to average

Adaptation

Evolved trait solving ancestral survival/reproduction problems.

Directional Selection

Favors one extreme phenotype

Stabilizing Selection

Favors intermediate traits, selecting against both extremes.

Disruptive Selection

Favors both extreme traits over intermediate ones.

Bateman’s Principles

1. Males show greater variance in offspring number than females.

2. Males show greater variance in s**ual partners.

3. Mating frequency correlates more strongly with reproductive success in males.

Parental Investment Theory (Female)

High biological investment (gestation/nursing), limiting offspring capacity. Focus on partner quality, resources, and commitment

Parental Investment Theory (Male)

Low biological investment, unlimited offspring capacity. Focus on partner quantity, youth, and fertility signs.

Differences in Jealousy Triggers

Males: Triggered most by S**ual Infidelity due to paternity uncertainty.

Females: Triggered most by Emotional Infidelity due to potential loss of commitment and resource division.

Monogyny

One male and one female mate

Polygyny

One male and multiple females mate - Harem

Polyandry

One female and multiple males mate

Polygynandry (promiscuity)

All females and all males mate with each other