Motivation & Emotion U4P3

Motivation

A need or desire that energizes and directs behavior

Instinct

A complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned

Instinct Theory

There is a genetic basis for unlearned, species-typical behavior

Drive-reduction Theory

the idea that a physical need creates an aroused state that motivates an organism to satisfy the need

Arousal Theory

Our need to maintain an optimal level of arousal motivates behaviors that meet no physiological need

Hierarchy of Needs

We prioritize survival-based needs and then social needs more than the needs for esteem and meaning

Physiological Needs

A basic bodily requirement

Homeostasis

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

Incentives

A positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior

Yerkes-Dodson Law

The principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases

Affiliation Need

The need to build and maintain relationships and to feel part of a group

Self-determination Theory

The theory that we feel motivated to satisfy out needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness

Intrinsically Motivated

The desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake

Extrinsically Motivated

The desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment

Ostracism

Deliberate social exclusion of individuals or groups

Achievement Motivation

A desire for significant accomplishment, for mastery of skills or ideas, for control, and for attaining a high standard

Grit

Passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals

Set Point

The point at which the “weight thermostat” may be set. When the body falls below this weight, increased hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may combine to restore lost weight

Basal Metabolic Rate

The body’s resting rate of energy output

Obesity

BMI of 30 or higher

Emotion

A response of the whole organism, involving physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and, most importantly, conscious experience resulting from one’s interpretations

Facial Feedback Effect

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

Behavior Feedback Effect

The tendency of behavior to influence our own and others’ thoughts, feelings, and actions

Sensation-Seeking Theory

High sensation seekers have a higher optimal level of arousal, whereas low sensation seekers have a lower optimal level of arousal.