Unit 8 - Motivation, Emotion, and Stress

Emotion

a response of the whole organism involving physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious behavior

James-Lange Theory

Emotions arise from our awareness of our specific bodily responses tp emotion-arousing stimuli

• Exp: We observe our heart racing after a threat and then feel afraid

Cannon-Bard Theory

emotion-arousing stimuli trigger our bodily responses and simultaneous experience

• Exp: Our heart races at the same time that we feel afraid

Two-factor theory/ the Schachter-Singer theory

Our experience of emotion depends on two factors: general arousal and a conscious cognitive label

• Exp: We may interpret our arousal as fear or excitement, depending on the context

Zajonc; LeDoux theory

Some embodied responses happen instantly, without conscious appraisal

• Exp: We automatically feel startled by a sound in the forest before labeling it as a threat

Lazarus theory

Cognitive appraisal (“is it dangerous or not?”), sometimes without our awareness, defines emotion

• Exp: The sound is “just the wind.”

High Road

Some emotions (complex ones) travel through the high road. These emotions travel via thalamus to the brain’s cortex where it would be analyzed and labeled before the command is sent out via the amygdala to respond

Low Road

A neural shortcut that bypasses the cortex. Travels from the eye or ear directly to the amygdala

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Arousal effects performance in different ways, depending on the task

• Performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases

Polygraph

A machine that measures several of the physiological responses accompanying emotion

Facial-feedback effect

The tendency for facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings such as fear, anger, or happiness

Behavior feedback

The tendency to mimic others expressions, which can help us empathize

motivation

A need or desire that energizes snd directs behavior

instinct

a complex, unlearned behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species

instinct theory

The theory that states our motivations and behavior are compelled by a distinct set of instincts that are internally fixed

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 maintained a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of the body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level

incentives

a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior

optimal arousal theory

the tendency that some motivated behaviors actually increase arousal

Hierarchy of needs

Maslow’s pyramid of human needs

• Base: physiological needs

• Higher safety needs

• Psychological needs

transpersonal

at the self-transcendence level, people strive for meaning, purpose, and communion that is beyond the self

glucose

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

appetite hormones

• insulin

• leptin

• orexin

• PYY

Set point

the point at which an individual’s “weight thermostat” is set

basal metabolic rate

the body’s resting rate of energy expenditure

neophobia

dislike of unfamiliar things

ecology of eating

the idea that situations influence our eating

• unit bias

• food variety

stress

the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events that we appraise as threatening or challenging

stressor

event or stimulus that caused the stress

catastrophes

mostly characterized as threatening and unpredictable

General adaptation syndrome (GAS)

Selye’s concept of the body’s adaptive responses to stress in three phrases: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion

Phase one

Alarm reaction

• Sympathetic nervous system activates

Phase two

Resistance

• Temperature, blood pressure, remain high while adrenal glands pump hormones into blood stream

Phase three

Exhaustion

• More vulnerable to illness

Tend-to-befriend response

under stress, people often provide support to others and bond with and seek support from others

psychophysiological illness

any stress-related physical illness such as hypertension and some headaches

• “mind-body” illness

psychoneuroimmunology

the study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together affect the immune system and resulting health

lymphocytes

the two types of blood cells that are part of the body’s immune system

• T lymphocytes - Form in the thalamus and other lymphatic tissue and attack cancer cells, viruses, and foreign substances

• B lymphocytes - Form in the bone marrow and release antibiotics that fight bacteria infections

macrophage

identifies, pursues, and ingests harmful invaders and worn-out cells

natural killer cells (NK cells)

pursue diseased cells

coronary heart disease

the clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle; the leading cause of death in many developed countries

Type A

Friedman and Rosenman’s term for competitive, hard driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people

Type B

Friedman and Rosenman’s term for easy going, relaxed people