Psychology: Motivation and Emotion

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the biological, cognitive, social, and psychological concepts of motivation and emotion from Chapter 8.

Motivation

Biological, emotional, cognitive, or social forces that activate and direct behavior.

Activation

A basic characteristic of motivation demonstrated by the initiation of behavior.

Persistence

A characteristic of motivation demonstrated by continued efforts to achieve a goal.

Intensity

A characteristic of motivation seen in the rate of responding for motivated behavior.

Instinct Theories

The view proposed by William McDougall and William James (inspired by Charles Darwin) that certain human, motivated behaviors are innate and due to evolutionary programming.

Drive Theories

The view that behavior is motivated by the desire to reduce internal tension caused by unmet biological needs.

Drive

A need or internal motivational state, such as hunger or thirst, that prompts behavior to achieve drive reduction.

Homeostasis

The body's tendency to monitor and maintain internal states, such as body temperature and energy supplies, at relatively constant levels.

Incentive Theories

The view that behavior is motivated by the "pull" of external goals, such as rewards, money, or recognition, based on learning principles.

Reinforcement

The occurrence of a stimulus or event following a response that increases the likelihood of that response being repeated.

Arousal Theory

The view that people are motivated to maintain a level of arousal that is optimal (neither too high nor too low).

Sensation Seeking

The degree to which an individual is motivated to experience high levels of sensory and physical arousal associated with varied and novel activities.

Humanistic Theories of Motivation

Theories championed by Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow emphasizing psychological and cognitive factors, proposing that people are motivated to realize their personal potential.

Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham Maslow's model of motivation progressing from basic physiological needs to psychological needs and ultimately self-fulfillment needs.

Need to Belong

A fundamental human motivation characterized by the drive to form and maintain lasting positive relationships marked by mutual concern and caring.

Affiliation

A social need to associate with like-minded people in social groups.

Self-Determination Theory (SDT)

Deci and Ryan's theory stating that optimal human functioning can occur only if innate psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are satisfied.

Autonomy

In self-determination theory, the need to determine, control, and organize one's own behavior and goals so they align with personal interests and values.

Competence

In self-determination theory, the need to learn and master appropriately challenging tasks.

Relatedness

In self-determination theory, the need to feel attached to others and experience a sense of belongingness, security, and intimacy.

Intrinsic Motivation

The desire to engage in tasks that are inherently satisfying and enjoyable, novel, or optimally challenging.

Extrinsic Motivation

External factors or influences on behavior, such as rewards, consequences, or social expectations.

Achievement Motivation

The desire to direct behavior toward excelling, succeeding, or outperforming others at some task.

Mastery Goals

Goals reflecting a growth mindset, where an individual perceives that abilities can be developed and improved with effort and experience.

Performance Goals

Goals reflecting a fixed mindset, where an individual perceives abilities as unchangeable and view effort as a waste of time.

Emotion

A complex psychological state involving three distinct but related components: a cognitive experience, a physiological response, and a behavioral or expressive response.

Emotional Intelligence

The capacity to understand and manage one's own emotional experience, perceive and respond appropriately to others' emotional responses, and regulate one's own behavior.

Basic Emotions

The fundamental set of emotion categories—fear, disgust, surprise, happiness, anger, and sadness—that are biologically innate, evolutionarily determined, and culturally universal.

Moods

Milder, longer-lasting emotional states (hours or days) that lack consistent facial expressions and have causes that are not easily determined.

Interpersonal Engagement

An emotion dimension reflecting the degree to which emotions involve a relationship with another person or other people, commonly emphasized in collectivist cultures.

Display Rules

Social and cultural regulations governing emotional expression, especially facial expressions.

Emblems

Specific nonverbal gestures that carry distinct meanings and vary across different cultures (e.g., shaking or nodding the head).

Microexpressions

Fleeting facial expressions of fear, guilt, or anxiety that tend to "leak" through when people attempt to lie or control their facial expressions.

Amygdala

A limbic system structure located at the base of the temporal lobe that acts as a sensory filter to quickly evaluate incoming information for danger, threats, or safety.

James-Lange Theory

The theory that emotions arise from the perception of bodily changes, where a stimulus triggers physiological arousal and behavioral actions before the subjective emotion is experienced.

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

The idea that expressing a specific emotion, particularly through facial muscle movement, causes a person to experience and feel that emotion.

Two-Factor Theory

Schachter and Singer's theory proposing that emotion is the interaction of physiological arousal and the cognitive label applied to explain that arousal.

Cognitive Appraisal Theory of Emotion

Lazarus and Smith's theory proposing that emotional responses are triggered primarily by the cognitive evaluation and personal meaning appraisal of a situation or stimulus.

Self-Efficacy

The degree to which people are convinced of their ability to meet the demands of a specific situation.