Chp 7. Motivation and Emotion

A collection of flashcards covering key concepts, definitions, and theories related to motivation and emotion.

Motivation

The forces that activate and direct behavior.

Emotion

A complex internal state that involves physiological, cognitive, and behavioral components.

Evolutionary psychology

Explaining behavior by focusing on the function or purpose of the behavior.

Ethology

The study of animal behavior.

Reflex

Unlearned behavior; automatic response to a stimulus.

Modal action patterns

Unlearned behavior; common behavioral patterns in response to a stimulus.

Drives

Internal forces that provide us with the energy and intensity to return to homeostasis or equilibrium.

Drive reduction

The process of reducing a need and beginning to feel better.

Incentives

External cues that pull you and attract your attention.

Reinforcement

Increases the probability of a behavior.

Punishment

Decreases the probability of a behavior.

Arousal

Level of alertness or boredom.

Reticular formation

Brain structure involved in regulating attention, arousal, and sleep.

Sympathetic nervous system

Part of the nervous system that activates the fight or flight response.

Yerkes Dodson arousal curve

Theory that explains the relationship between arousal and performance.

Homeostasis

The concept of both physiology and behavior; an optimal level for something.

Set point

Optimal level of something that the body seeks to maintain.

Basal Metabolic Rate

Amount of energy the body consumes at rest.

Hypothalamus

Brain structure that regulates eating behavior among other functions.

Leptin

Chemical signal released by fat cells; when levels are high, appetite is suppressed.

Classical Conditioning

Associating a previously neutral stimulus with a meaningful stimulus to produce the same response.

Operant Conditioning

How reward and punishment influence behavior.

Primary Reinforcers

Biological reinforcers like food, water, sex, temperature, and air.

Extrinsic motivation

Motivation driven by external rewards.

Intrinsic motivation

Motivation driven by internal rewards.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

Description of needs as a progression, with basic physiological needs at the foundation and more complex psychological needs at the top.

Emotional Intelligence

Understanding the cause and consequence of feelings in ourselves and others.

Basic emotions

Fundamental emotions: happy, sad, fear, anger, disgust, surprise.