Unit 5- Emotions & Motivation

AP Psychology

Basal metabolic rate

Number of calories our bodies need at rest + the calories you need for extra energy expenditure. (Yeah, you hear that health freaks? Your body needs calories!)

Set point theory

Weight is relatively fixed and largely predetermined, body will autocorrect us to keep our weight stable.

Lateral hypothalamus

Signals the body to eat

Ventromedial hypothalamus

Signals our body to stop eating

Insulin

Regulates blood sugar after you eat. If blood sugar dips, it signals body to eat.

Made by pancreas, low amounts cause T1 diabetes.

Ghrelin

Tells brain we need food. Secreted by your stomach. Will cause the embarrassing growling noise.

(hehe, ghrelin? like gremlin?)

Leptin

Tells brain to stop eating

When we eat, our white blood cells bloat and secrete leptin

Anorexia nervosa

Extreme calorie restriction (>1% of population)

Bulimia nervosa

Cycles of binging followed by purging (1% of population)

Binge-eating disorder

Similar to bulimia. Binge eating followed by shame, but not purging. (3% of population)

Instinct theory

We have innate, instinctive needs related to survival

Evolutionary perspective

Like wanting to have a ‘group’ comes back to safety in numbers

Does not account for non-survival related behaviors

Drive-reduction theory

Our bodies create an unpleasant physical state that we try to satisfy (Drives)

Like getting a headache because you need water

Biological perspective

Does not account for non-drive related behaviors

Sensation-seeking theory

Seeking excitement or novel feelings

Extreme sports, adrenaline junkies, traveling

Biological perspective (bc genetics influence how much of a SS you are/routed in the nervous system)

Does not explain why we do boring things. Also, not everyone gets this

Optimal arousal theory

Bodies want us to balance boredom and overstimulation/stress (amounts of arousal)

Biological perspective

But everyone’s ideal level of arousal is different, and ideal levels change based on the situation.

Incentive theory

We do things because of external rewards and punishments

Behavioral perspective (shock of the century, I know)

But why then do we still do things we are punished for?

Hierarchy of needs

Maslow!

We prioritize some needs over others- basic needs first, then can worry about higher needs.

Physiological, safety, love & belonging, esteem, self actualization, transcendence

People have issues with the order- we don’t always put ourself first. Also, why have transcendence if it can’t be reached?