AP Psychology: Unit 8 (Motivation & Emotion)

ch. 8 of Myers' Psychology for AP, pp. 327-396 + in-class notes

motivation

the needs, desires, feelings, and ideas that direct behaviour toward a goal; nature often “pushes” and nurture “pulls”

instinct theory

theory of motivation; idea that people are motivated to behave in certain ways because they are evolutionarily/genetically programmed to do so; motivated by survival

drive-reduction theory

theory of motivation; idea that people are motivated to behave in certain ways because they have a physiological need that creates an aroused tension state (a drive) that motivates the satisfaction of the need

homeostasis

the body’s tendency to work to maintain a steady internal state of balance

incentive theory

theory of motivation; idea that people are pulled to do things by positive/negative incentives

optimum arousal theory

theory of motivation; idea that human motivation aims to increase arousal & that we are driven to experience stimulation; also known as sensation seeking theory

optimum level of arousal

belief that humans have an innate “optimal level” of arousal; motivation is the search for the right excitement level

yerkes-dodson law

increased pressure can improve performance up to a point; too high of arousal and performance decreases

maslow’s hierarchy of needs

people are motivated by a hierarchy of needs, starting from most basic to complex; physiological → safety → belonging → esteem → self-actualisation

lateral hypothalamus

part of the brain that triggers the feeling of hunger

ventromedial hypothalamus

part of the brain that turns off the feeling of hunger

set point

idea that the human body and the hypothalamus has some “optimum” level of weight; determines if the “on” or “off” signal is sent from the hypothalamus

bulimia

episodes of binge eating followed by offsetting behaviours, like purging

anorexia nervosa

not eating enough; based around body image disturbances or a fear of gaining weight

obesity

medical condition in which the body has too much fat; leads top health problems incl. diabetes and hypertension

sexual motivation

human interest in sexual objects and activities; sex is a desire, not a need

sexual response cycle

a four-stage process made up of excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution; includes a “refractory” period in males

achievement motivation

need for achievement drives accomplishment

extrinsic motivation

behaviour driven by external rewards like money or fame

intrinsic motivation

behaviour driven by internal rewards like autonomy and purpose

overjustification effect

effect in which receiving external rewards for an action reduces intrinsic motivation

affiliation needs

idea that people need people for acceptance, attention, and support

ostracism

deliberately being left out of a group via exclusion or rejection

approach-approach conflict

conflict within a person who is deciding between two goals

avoidance-avoidance conflict

making a decision between two undesirable choices

approach-avoidance conflict

conflict coming from decisions about situations that have both positive and negative consequences

multiple approach-avoidance

weighing pros/cons of differing situations that have both positive and negative choices and consequences

emotion

mind and body’s integrated response to a stimuli; made up of physiological arousal, expressive behaviours, and conscious experience

nonverbal communication

facial expressions and other nonlinguistic cues that express emotional feelings

display rule

culture’s informal norms about the expression of emotions

common-sense theory

theory in which stimulus leads to emotion, which then leads to arousal through the autonomic nervous system

james-lange theory of emotion

emotions occur as a result of physiological reactions; an external stimulus triggers a physiological reaction which leads to the emotion (which is dependent on the interpretation of physiological reactions)

facial feedback hypothesis

hypothesis related to the james-lange theory; idea that facial expressions are connected to the experience of emotions themselves

cannon-bard theory of emotion

suggests that physical and psychological experience are simultaneous and do not cause one another

schachter-singer two-factor theory of emotion

physiological arousal occurs first, then it is labelled and understood by the person leading to a conscious feeling; in essence, a more complicated james-lange theory

polygraph

lie detector; records changes in heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration; often incorrect since lie detectors induce arousal and emotions

stress

any change that causes physical, emotional, or psychological strain

acute stress

short-term positive or negative stress

chronic stress

negative, never-ending and inescapable stresse

eustress

effect of positive events; optimal stress for creating motivation

distress

occurs upon unpleasant or undesirable stressors

general adaptation syndrome

the body’s three-stage reaction to stress; made up of alarm, resistance, and exhaustion

alarm

initial reaction through the sympathetic nervous system; activates adrenal glands and could result in fever, nausea, or headache

resistance

body settles into active, stressed state and continues to release hormones; could experience insensitivity to pain

exhaustion

body’s resources depleted; can lead to stress-related disease

stressor

stress-inducing event that comes from within a person or an external source

locus of control

extent to which one has control over life; influences motivation and stress

internal locus of control

belief that you have control over what happens; often confident, hardworking, happier people

external locus of control

blame outside sources for current circumstances; credits luck or chance often

type A personality

ambitious, time-conscious person; high hostility and a tendence to focus on bad things

type B personality

relaxed and laid back; less driven than type A and slow to anger

emotion-focused coping

managing emotions that develop from stressful situations

problem-focused coping

removal of the source of the stress itself

appraisal-focused coping

reforming perceptions and changing assumptions to relieve stress

glucose

sugar that circulates in the blood & provides energy for the body

basal metabolic rate

resting rate of energy expenditure in the body

social facilitation

natural behavioural tendencies amplified by the presence of others

binge-eating disorder

significant binge eating episodes without being followed up by purging episodes

estrogen

primary female sex hormone that contributes to female characteristics

testosterone

primary male sex hormone that facilitates the development of male sex organs

sexual orientation

attraction towards members of a specific sex

behavioural medicine

interdisciplinary field that integrates both behavioural and medical knowledge to apply it to health and disease

health psychology

provides psychology’s contribution to behavioural medicine

catharsis hypothesis

emotional release; releasing aggressive energy relieves urges

feel-good, do-good phenomenon

people tend to be helpful when in a good mood

adaptation-level phenomenon

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

relative deprivation

perception that we are worse-off relative to those whom we compare ourselves to