u8 study guide

drive-reduction theory

• behaviors are meant to maintain homeostasis

• physiological need creates aroused tension state (drive)

  • motivates us to satisfy need (ie stomach growling=eating)

• with few exceptions, need and drive are positively correlated

motivation

• need or desire energizing and directing behavior

• all motives reveal interplay between nature and nurture (physiological push and cognitive/cultural push)

ventromedial hypothalamus

depresses hunger

• if stimulated we stop eating

• destroy it, and stomach and intestines process food more rapidly, causing more eating

lateral hypothalamus

stimulates hunger

• when destroyed, we aren’t hunger

• tumors near LH cause intense eating and obesity

set point

“weight thermostat”

• if weight goes below set point, you get hungry and have less energy

• hunger and energy are negatively correlated

• set point is influenced by heredity

• humans regulate body naturally better than dieting

basal metabolic rate

• body’s resting rate of energy expenditure

• stabilizes when body gains or loses weight

  • from reduced or increased energy output (fidgeting or tiredness)

• slow, sustained body weight changes alter set point and BMR

homeostasis

• tendency to maintain balanced/constant internal state

• regulation of body chemistry (ie glucose) around certain levels

• body temp down, blood vessels tighten to conserve warmth = put on more clothes

• water level in cells drop, sensors detect need for water = thirsty

arousal theory

motivated behaviors can increase arousal

• curiosity

• enjoyment of arousal causes people to try new foods, seek out dangerous situations

• yerkes-dodson law

optimal level of arousal

the level of arousal that increases performances, after which performance decreases

experience seeking

new sensory and mental experiences—travel, art, music, or social noncomformity

yerkes-dodson law

performances increases with arousal up to a point where anxiety causes decrease in performance

detecting emotion

• difficult to conceal emotions

• real smiles

  • under eyes

  • raised cheeks

• fake smile

  • usually lasts more than 4 seconds

  • gets switched on and off faster

• truth much easier to recognize

  • most can determine if a person likes them

• same expression can reveal different emotions

  • folded arms: irritation or relaxation

  • hostility: cold stare or avoidance of eye contact

• we know when people aren’t kidding

nonverbal communications

• humans good at reading non-verbal cues

• better at detecting nonverbal threats

• anger most detectable emotion in a different language

• in a crowd angry face is more noticeable than happy

• we read fear and anger from eyes and happiness from mouth

• emotion “wizards” can read nonverbal cues remarkably well

  • figure out if person is upset b/c of lateness or divorce

• introverts better at reading emotions

• extraverts easier to read

• physically abused children

  • quicker to see anger

  • more likely to perceive anger as fear

gender differences in nonverbal communication

• women generally surpass men

  • reading emotional cues

  • spotting lies

  • identifying real from “fake” couples

  • discerning between two people in photograph (employee/supervisor)

• men describe emotional reactions in simpler forms

• almost 100% of people say emotionality more present in women

  • no culture gap

• women more likely to say they are more empathetic

  • physical responses to empathy show small gender gap

• women react more visibly emotionally

  • gender can be detected in expressions

detecting lies

• indirect cues

  • long pauses before answering

  • fast talking

  • hesitation

  • fewer illustrations

  • raising voice pitch

are expressions universal?

• research is mixed

• most likely universal common expressions are:

  • anger, disgust, sadness, happiness, surprise, fear

culture and emotional expression

• gestures’ meaning varies tremendously with culture

• facial expressions’ meaning do not vary by culture

  • only slight ability to better recognize liars in own culture

display rules

• socially learned norms that govern expressions of emotions in specific situations

• cultural distinction in how much emotion we express

  • individualist: encourage intense/prolonged emotional displays

  • collectivist: rarely display negative emotions

• elicitors: situations that spark emotions

• genders, ages, socioeconomic classes within a culture differ in how/when emotions are shown

facial biofeedback phenomenon

• mimicking emotional expressions/postures help us feel what others feel

• forcing a smile, even when you don’t feel happy, can lead to increased happiness

• watched painful expression of person getting fake electric shock

  • some imitated look

  • imitators perspired more/had faster heart rate

  • helps create empathy

self determination theory

the theory that we feel motivated to satisfy our needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness

intrinsic motivation

desire to perform a behavior for enjoyment, interest, self-expression, or challenge

extrinsic motivation

desire to perform a behavior because of promised rewards or threats of punishment

instincts

• non-human animals

• innate, fixed patterns of behavior in response to certain stimuli

• not relevant in humans

• genetics predisposes species-typical behavior

Lewin’s motivational conflicts theory

• choices create conflicts one must resolve

• serves as basis for motivation

approach-approach conflicts

• choice between two equally attractive options

• when two separate groups of friends want you to do something on the same night

approach-avoidance conflicts

• choice between two options

• both equally attractive and unattractive

• a job offers high pay (positive) but also requires long hours and demanding work (negative) and vice versa

avoidance-avoidance conflicts

• choice between two equally unattractive options

• take out the trash or clean up the kitchen

sensation-seeking theory

nature based need for new, intense, and complex experiences

• adventure seeking

• experience seeking

• disinhibition

• boredom susceptibility

adventure seeking

physically exciting and potentially risky behavior, such as skydiving and bungee jumping

disinhibition

breaking social norms, such as wild parties, and potentially illegal activities

boredom susceptibility

intolerance of repetition and a tendency to become restless in boring situations

ghrelin

hunger triggering chemical

• when low, we feel loss of appetite

leptin

hunger suppressing chemical

• when low, we feel hunger

pituitary gland

part of the limbic system, associated with emotions and drives

• regulates body functions like growth, metabolism, reproduction, and water balance

affect

involves

1. physiological arousal

2. expressive behaviors

3. conscious experience—emotions bring life meaning

• humans express emotions more than any other creature

• adaptive: help us face challenges, focus attention and energize action

timing theories of emotion

• James Lange theory

  • believed that we feel sorry because we cry, emotion is awareness of physiological responses to situations

• Canon Bard theory

  • physiological reactions to different emotions are similar

    • racing heart can equal fear, anger, love

  • emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers

    • physiological responses

    • subjective emotion

  • heart begins pounding as you experience fear

    • one doesn’t cause the other

• research on effects of facial expressions show validity

physiological experience of emotion

the arousal our body feels that accompanies the cognitive label to an emotion or situation

cognitive theories of emotion

• can we change emotions by changing thinking?

  • practical implications for self-improvement

• two factors needed to experience emotion

  • be physically aroused

  • cognitively label arousal

• experience of emotion grows from awareness of arousal

• emotions are physiologically similar

  • interpretation of arousal necessary

• arousal can spill over into response to next event

• when we’re aroused:

  • insults can cause misattribution of arousal to provocation

  • fear and anger intensify sexual passions (horror movie dates)

facial-feedback hypothesis

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

broaden and build theory of emotion

• positive emotional experiences heighten awareness and encourage new actions and thoughts

  • builds resilience

  • helps inspire creativity

  • openness to exploring new relationships

• negative emotions reduce awareness and narrow thinking and action

cognitive appraisal

display rules

sensation

transduction

absolute threshold

just-noticeable difference

sensory adaptation

Weber’s law

sensory interaction

synesthesia

retina

blind spot

visual nerve

lens

accommodation

nearsightedness

cones (blue, green, red)

trichromatic theory

opponent-process theory

afterimages

ganglion cells

dichromatism

monochromatism

prosopagnosia

blindsight

wavelength

pitch

amplitude

pitch perception

place theory

valley theory

sensorineural deafness

olfactory system

thalamus

pheremones

gustation

sweet

sour

salty

bitter

umami

oleogustus

taste receptors

supertasters

medium tasters

nontasters

warm/cold receptors

gate control theory

phantom limb

vestibular sense

farsightedness

photoreceptors

rods

frequency theory

sound localization

conduction deafness

semicircular canals

kinisthesis

bottom-up processing

top-down processing