Psych Module 3

motivation

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

If you can’t meed needs at the level before, then you can’t move up the ladder to the next level/need

1. Physiological needs – hunger and thirst

2. Safety needs – the need to feel safe, secure, stable

3. Belongingness and love needs – the need to love and be loved, be accepted

4. Esteem needs – the need for self-esteem, achievement, competence, respect from others

5. Self-actualization needs – the need to live up to one’s fullest and unique potential

ex: have to focus on finding food if starving before finding love (very subjective)

what affects our motivation?

internal state, incentives, our own learning history, health, and culture

how does our own learning history affect our motivation?

Trying things and failing repeatedly will reduce motivation to continue doing that thing

This can cause people to lose motivation for everything (learned helplessness) in life (can lead to depression)

Trying things and they work will motivate people to repeat that thing (ex: studying for a test and doing well)

how does health affect our motivation?

If you’re sick with a 103-degree fever, your not going to feel motivated to get off the couch

Long term illness – affects people’s overall motivation (if they’re constantly in pain, they don’t feel like doing anything, leads to downward spiral, depression)

example of how culture affects our motivation

spectrum of sexualness in america - very confusing as lots of different cultures are combined

old theory / drive-reduction

when you start feeling a negative state (like hunger), this negative state will drive you to fix the problem (go eat)

• aroused state that drives the organism to reduce the need

• boredom is not a negative/aversive state (people tend to eat when they’re bored)

hunger mechanisms

o   Blood glucose levels, insulin, leptin – all important to regulating hunger

o   Hypothalamus monitors through feedback from the stomach, intestines, liver, blood, etc.

o   Based on these levels, hypothalamus signals hunger or satiety

lateral hypothalamus

signals hunger

• stimulation = eating

  • destruction = lack of eating even if starving

ventromedial hypothalamus

signals satiety

• stimulation = stop eating

• destruction = overeating even if full

physiological factors for obesity

• Fat cells – size and number

  • Brain always wants foods to “prepare for winter”

• Set point/metabolism – basal metabolic rate (rate of energy expenditure at rest)

  • Diet (calorie restriction actually decreases BMR)

  • Regular exercise and caffeine boost BMR

• Genetics

• Environmental (family, McDonalds, etc.)

  • Biggest predictor of obesity: poverty

intrinsic achievement motivational factors

personal gain, enjoyment, competence, self-actualization, self-esteem (coming from inside of you)

extrinsic achievement motivational factors

grades, approval of others, rewards, money, deadlines, family expectations, peer pressure

sex hormones

• Direct development of male and female sex characteristics (puberty)

• Activate sexual behavior

  • Estrogen peaks at ovulation and female becomes receptive

  • Male hormone levels more constant but loss of testosterone = loss of sexual behavior

  • …but in humans this relationship is not as straight-forward

  • Women’s sexual desire is only slightly higher at ovulation and women have sex throughout menstrual cycle

  • Sexual desire in women actually more closely related to testosterone

Clark & Hatfield (1989) - “Would you like to go to bed with me tonight?”

0% of women said yes, 75% of men said yes

Evolutionary Psychology

How evolution has shaped our brains, bodies, and behaviors

o   Based on principles of natural selection

principles of natural selection

Eating behavior

Sexual behavior/attraction

Altruism – doing something truly just to help someone else, no self interest

So much variability across the animal kingdom

how has cooking food changed human evolution?

• Smaller teeth and guts, weaker jaws, bigger brains

  • Spending less time chewing, less time looking for food, leads to bigger brain

  • Chimps spend around 6-8 hours/day chewing

• Cooking is pre-digestion, more efficient extraction of calories

David Buss “The Evolution of Desire” (1994)

Men and women have different mating strategies – because the gender invest different amounts in the reproductive process

reproductive investment

women have more, men have less

why do women have more reproductive investment

• Women have a limited amount of eggs (around 400)

• They are the ones that have to carry the baby for 9 months (automatic 18 year commitment) —> puts a chip in your head making women more picky about who they have sex with

• Women cant reproduce after menopause

why do men have less reproductive investment

• Men produce unlimited sperm (12 mil/hour)

• Sperm is cheap, worthless

• Men don’t biologically have a commitment to the baby if they get a women pregnant

• Men can reproduce throughout life

Women’s strategy for reproductive investment

Quality partner (genes and behavior)

o   Economic capacity (present or future) – money to more important to women than to men, because they want resources available to raise children/have a family

o   Social status

o   Age – older than the female

o   Resources for children

Men’s strategy for reproductive investment

Quantity (but…)

o   Youth

o   Physical beauty (Body shape (waist to hip ratio; .70 most attractive), Symmetry)

o   Healthy

o   Fertility