Memory and Emotion (Psych #5)

final!

Motivation

A need or desire that energizes and directs behavior towards a goal

Motives

Needs or wants

(ToM) Instinct/Evolutionary Theory

Individuals are motivated to engage in behaviors to maximize their genetic fitness (natural selection, survival, successful reproduction)

• Can’t explain much of human behavior because many behaviors are developed or learned over time.

What is the original theory for motivation?

Instinct/Evolutionary Theory

Drives

Aroused tension created by imbalances

• Prompt an organism to restore the balance, typically by reducing the drive.

(ToM) Drive-Reduction Theory

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

• Eating and drinking are both examples of this kind of behavior

Arousal

Levels of alertness and responsiveness

(ToM) Yerkes-Dobson Law

The theory that a degree of psychological arousal helps performance, but only to a certain extent.

• Optimum lev el of arousal depends on the difficulty of the task

• Each person has an optimum level of stimulation they likes to maintain

When arousal is too high:

Strong stress, anxiety, impaired performance

When arousal is too low:

Fatigue, sleepiness

(ToM) Homeostasis Theory

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

• any changes in levels, up or down, results in being motivated to being the level back to normal.

Incentives

Stimuli that we are drawn to learning

(ToM) Incentive Theory

When behavior is pulled by a desire (a defined external reward)

• Behavior results from or is motivated by the desire to attain an external reward, goal or object.

(ToM) Cognitive Theory

Focuses on thoughts, expectations, and understanding how it motivates our behavior

Extrinsic Motivation

A desire to perform a behavior because of promised rewards of threats of punishments. Desire is not defined, person thinks of reward themselves

Intrinsic Motivation

A desire to perform a behavior for its own sake, to be effective,

Overjustification Effect

The reduction of the intrinsic motivation of a task due to the introduction of an extrinsic motivator

• The extrinsic motivator minimizes, or even eliminates, the intrinsic motivation.

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic — which form of motivation is better.

Intrinsic Motivation better; often results in high achievement

Abraham Maslov

A humanistic psychologist who proposed the hierarchy of needs, with self-actualization as one of the ultimate psychological needs

(ToM) Hierarchy of Needs

Maslov’s theory of needs. Begins with physiological needs that must be satisfied before higher-level safety needs and then psychological needs.

• Continually higher-level needs won’t become active until lower level needs have been satisfied.

Level 6 (Maslov’s Pyramid)

Physiological Needs: Need to satisfy hunger and thirst

Level 5 (Maslov’s Pyramid)

Safety Needs: Need to feel that the world is organized, predictable and safe

Level 4 (Maslov’s Pyramid)

Belongingness and Love Needs: Need to love and be loved, to belong and feel accepted, avoid loneliness and separation

Level 3 (Maslov’s Pyramid)

Esteem Needs: Need for self-esteem, validation, achievement, competence, respect, recognition from others.

Level 2 (Maslov’s Pyramid)

Self-Actualization Needs: Need to live up to our fullest/unique potential

Level 1 (Maslov’s Pyramid)

Self-transcendence Needs: Need to find meaning beyond the self

Self-Actualization

According to Maslov, an ultimate psychological need that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; the motivation to realize our full and unique self.

Henry Murray

The 1st to establish the concept of achievement motivation and developed important personality testing tools

(ToM) Achievement Motivation

A desire for significant accomplishment; for mastery of things, people, or ideas, and for attainaing a high standard.

Attribution Theory

Attributing motives to explain others’ behavior

Dispositional (Internal) Attribution

Having to do with personality (ex. she’s a mean person)

Situational (External) Attribution

Having to do with the environment (ex. she’s having a bad day)

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to attribute negative behavior to others as dispositional, and to ourselves as situational.

• ex. The homeless are lazy, but we have bad luck

Approach-Approach Motivational Conflict

When there are 2 desirable (positive) alternatives but you can only choose 1 of them

Approach-Avoidance Motivational Conflict

When you see the same goal in positive and negative terms, with one option each.

Avoidance-Avoidance Motivational Conflict

When you want to escape from avoid 2 undesirable options (negative) alternatives and you must choose 1 of them

Multiple Approaches-Avoidance Motivational Conflict

When you simultaneously see 2 goals in both positive and negative terms.

• Each goal had positive and negative terms, with more than 1 option each

Glucose

Form of sugar that circulates throughout the body

• One fees hunger when these levels become low

Insulin

A hormone which allows the body to use glucose for energy or fat production

• As these levels increase, glucose levels decrease

Leptin

Protein produced by floated fat cells

• Sends a message to “stop eating”

Orexin

Hunger-triggering hormone, produced by the hypothalamus

• As glucose levels decrease, these levels increase, and the person feels hungry

PYY

Digestive track hormone

• Sends “I’m not hungry” signals to the brain

Ghrelin

Hormone secreted by an empty stomach

• Sends “I’m hungry” signal to the brain

Hypothalamus

A part of the brain that regulates appetite. Weight thermostat that measures leptin levels

Lateral hypothalamus

Located on the sides of the brain (Initiates eating)

Vetromedial Hypothalamus

Located in the lower-middle of the brain (stops eating)

Electrical Stimulation to the Lateral hypothalamus

Organism feels compelled to eat

Electrical Stimulation to the Vetromedial hypothalamus

Organism feels compelled to stop eating

Destruction of the Lateral hypothalamus

Organism doesn’t eat

Destruction of the Vetromedial hypothalamus

Organism doesn’t stop eating

Set Point

The point at which an individual’s weight thermostat is supposedly set; when the body falls below this weight, an increase in hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may act to restore the lost weight

Basal Metabolic Rate

The body’s resting rate at which we burn calories for energy

Anorexia Nervosa

An eating disorder in which normal weight people have a distorted self-perception of being “fat”, put themselves on self-starvation regiments, and become dangerously underweight

What is considered “dangerously underweight”

15% or under

Bulimia Nervosa

An eating disorder characterized by episodes of overeating (usually of high calorie foods), followed by vomiting, use of laxatives, fasting, or excessive exercise.

Emotions

Whole-organism responses consisting of physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience. Prepared us for action, shapes future behavior, and facilitates social relations

James-Lange Theory

The theory of emotion that we experience emotion because we are aware of our bodily response to an emotion-arousing stimulus

• Out awareness of the physiological reaction to a stimulus leads to our experience of an emotion.

Cannon-Bard Theory

The theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers physiological responses and the subjective experience of emotion

Cognitive Appraisal

One thoughts about a situation, or how they interprets a situation in the environment leads to their experience of emotion

Two-Factor Theory

The theory that to experience emotion, we must be physically aroused and must cognitively label the arousal.

Zajonc-LeDoux Theory

Some emotional reactions involve no deliberate thinking; cognition is not necessary for emotion

• Some emotions skip the thinking part of the brain

Hypothalamus (PoE)

Controls emotional response and activation of sympathetic nervous system

Limbic System

Emotion center; involved in emotions

Amygdala

Emotional response center, especially for fear and agression

Central Nervous System

The brain, the spinal cord

Automatic Nervous System

The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and and muscles of the internal organ.

• Monitors automatic energy

• Controls breathing, blood pressure, and digestive processes.

Somatic Nervous System

The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls voluntary movement, including the skeletal muscles

Sympathetic Nervous System

The part of the automatic nervous system that arouses the body to deal with perceived threats.

• Flight or fight response

Parasympathetic Nervous System

The part of the automatic nervous system that calms the body

• Brings the body down to a relaxed state

Agression

Physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy others

Hostile Agression

Hot, impulsive, spontaneous behavior that is motivated by a desire to hurt someone, to cause pain, or to cause injury.

Instrumental Aggression

Cold, premeditated behavior used as a means to some other end

Frustration Aggression Principle

Frustration causes aggression

Frustration

Feeling of tension that occurs when our efforts to reach a goal are blocked.

Non-Verbal Communication

The process of communicating feelings without words. Also called “body language”. Includes facial expressions, tone of voice, and hand gestures

_____ are better at reading non-verbal communication of emotions

Women

_____ tend to express emotions more than men do

Women

Facial-Affect Program

Present at birth; Each emotion produces a unique set of muscle movements

Facial-Feedback Hypothesis

Muscular feedback sends a message to the brain, which produces a particular emotion

Vascular Theory of Emotion

Facial expressions affect the temperature of blood, resulting in different emotions

Smiling _____ the body temp, resulting in the experience of a positive emotion

cools

Frowning _____ the body temp, resulting in the experience of a negative emotion

heats

Display Rules

The cultural rules governing how and when a person may express emotion

• Rules vary greatly from culture to culture

Carol Izarol

Proposed 10 basic emotions. Showed that infants as young as 5-9 months are able to display joy, anger, sadness, and distress

Stress

The process by which we perceive and respond to certain events that are perceived to be threatening or challenging

Stressors

Certain events that are stressful or challenging

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

The body’s adaptive response to stress. Happens in 3 stages

Stage 1: Alarm (GAS)

The body readies itself to meet the challenge through activation of the sympathetic nervous system.

Stage 2: Resistance (GAS)

The body remains physiologically ready, hormones are regulated to maintain this state of readiness

Stage 3: Exhaustion (GAS)

The parasympathetic nervous system returns to a normal physiological state We can be more vulnerable to disease and infection in this state.