Psych Chapter 5 Motivation, Emotion, and Stress

instincts

innate, fixed patterns of behavior

instinct theory

certain behaviors are based on evolutionarily programmed instincts; derived from Darwin’s theory of evolution

arousal

psychological and physiological state of being awake and reactive to stimuli; involves the brainstem, autonomic nervous system, and endocrine system and plays a vital role in behavior and cognition

arousal theory

states that people perform actions in order to maintain an optimal level of arousal, seeking to increase arousal when it falls below their optimal level, and to decrease arousal when it rises above the optimum level

Yerkes-Dodson law

postulates a U shaped function between the level of arousal and performance

performance is worst at extremely high and low levels of arousal and optimal at some intermediate level

optimal level varies between different types of tasks, lower levels optimal for highly cognitive tasks and higher levels optimal for activities requiring physical endurance and stamina

drives

internal states of tension that activate particular behaviors focused on goals

primary drives

drives including the need for food, water, and warmth, motivate us to sustain bodily processes in homeostasis

secondary drives

additional drives that are not directly related to biological processes; thought to stem from learning; include certain emotions like the desire for nurturing, love, achievement, and aggression

drive reduction theory

motivation is based on the goal of eliminating uncomfortable states

needs

relatively long-lasting feelings that require relief or satisfaction and tend to influence action

self-determination theory (SDT)

need-based motivational theory emphasizing the role of the three universal needs, autonomy, competence, and relatedness

autonomy

need to be in control of one’s actions and ideas

competence

need to copmlete and excel at difficult tasks

relatedness

need to feel accepted and wanted in relationships

incentive theory

explains that behavior is motivated not by need or arousal, but by desire to pursue rewards and avoid punishments

expectancy-value theory

the amount of motivation needed to reach a goal is the result oof both the individual’s expectation of success in reaching the goal and the degree to which the individual values succeeding at the goal

opponent process theory

explains that when a drug is taken repeatedly, the body will attempt to counteract the effects of the drug by changing its physiology

tolerance

a decrease in perceived drug effect over time

emotion

a natural instinctive state of mind derived from one’s circumstances, mood, or relationships with others

James-Lange Theory

a stimulus results first in physiological arousal, which leads to a secondary response in which the emotion is labeled

Cannon-Bard Theory

the conscious experience of emotion and physiological arousal occur simultaneously and then the behavioral component of emotion follows

Schacther-Singer Theory

also called two-factor theory or cognitive arousal theory

states that two factors, physiological arousal and a cognitive label, are needed to experience emotion

to feel an emotion, the mind must also identify the environmental stimulus causing that physiological arousal

limbic system

complex set of structures that reside below the cerebrum on either side of the thalamus; made up of the amygdala, thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus and fornix, septal nuclei, and parts of the cerebral cortex

plays a large role in both motivation and emotion

amygdala

small round structure that signals the cortex about stimuli related to attention and emotions

processes the environment, detects external cues, and learns from the person’s surroundings to produce emotion

associated with fear and interprets facial expressions

thalamus

functions as a preliminary sensory processing station and routes info to the cortex and other appropriate areas of the brain

hypothalamus

synthesizes and releases a variety of neurotransmitters

serves many homeostatic functions and modulates emotion

by controlling NTs that affect mood and arousal it largely dictates emotional states

hippocampus

within the temporal lobe, primarily involved in creating long-term memories; retrieval of emotional memories is key in producing emotional responses

also aids in creating context for stimuli to lead to an emotional experience

emotional memory

implicit/unconscious memory that stores actual feelings of emotions associated with an event; may be retrieved later on when experiencing a similar event

prefrontal cortex

anterior portion of the frontal lobes associated with planning intricate cognitive functions, expressing personality, and making decisions

left side for positive emotions and right side for negative emotions

dorsal prefrontal cortex

associated with attention and cognition

ventral prefrontal cortex

connects with regions of the brain responsible for experiencing emotion

ventromedial prefrontal cortex

thought to play a substantial role in decision making and controlling emotional responses from the amygdala

cognitive appraisal

subjective evaluation of a situation that induces stress

primary appraisal

initial evaluation of the environment and the associated threat

can be identified as irrelevant, benign-positive, or stressful

secondary appraisal

directed at evaluating whether the organism can cope with stress

involves evaluation of harm, threat, and challenge

stressor

biological element, external condition, or event that leads to a stress response

distress

occurs when a stressor is perceived as unpleasant (a threat)

eustress

occurs as a result of a positively perceived stressor (a challenge)

general adaptation syndrome

sequence of physiological responses consisting of three distinct stages, alarm, resistance, and exhaustion

alarm

initial reaction to a stressor and activation of the sympathetic nervous system

resistance

the continuous release of hormones allows the symp nervous system to remain engaged to fight a stressor

exhaustion

when the body can no longer maintain an elevated response with sympathetic nervous system activity, individuals become more susceptible to illnesses and medical conditions