Motivation II: Chapter 12

Cost of Achievement

energy, # of responses and time.

Tolman - Principle of Least Effort

best way to achieve goal using the least amount of energy

Zipf's Principle of Least Effort

1. frequent used words have more meanings than infrequently used words (set, run, love)

2. longer words are used less frequently than shorter words (fridge instead of refrigerator)

Behavioral Economizing

opportunities for saving time and effort

e.g., fast food, taking short cuts

Cognitive Economizing

following rules to make decisions easier;

want to plan, problem solve & make decisions with least amt. of effort

Cognitive Economizing: Satisficing

some minimum standard that must be must. do not compare all possible dimensions

e.g., restaurant choice, knowing what to expect (common branches)

Cognitive Economizing: Heuristics

rules of thumb, may lead to good choices

e.g., seeing a restaurant full of cars must mean it is good

Representative Heuristic

does an object or event belong to a particular category; based on resemblance

Availability Heuristic

judgements based on how quickly they come to mind

e.g., campaigns for voting, the more times you see their face on signs the more likely they're to come mind during voting

Brain Economizing

Processing resources - mental operations, memory

retrieval, problem solving, learning, decision making

Reflex Reserve

hypothetical amount of available activity for obtaining reinforcers; related to persistence

Learned Industriousness

responding in times of mental or physical fatigue; makes success more likely. More willing to work longer without reward = more likely to obtain goal

Energy consumption and perceived exertion

effort uses up energy (Glycogen & Glucose), requires more exertion.

As subjective effort increases - motivation decreases

Motivational energy from carbohydrates

Higher carbs allows more physical energy, goal more likely to be achieved. (runners)

Motivation resources and principle of least effort

effort depletes motivation. less effort to achieve a goal means more goals can be accomplished; but more difficult goals may be abandoned

Law of scarcity

will work if deprived of reinforcer

Rats: lever press for food

Humans: time to earn money

Demand law

what you are willing pay

e.g., gas: higher prices buy less; lower prices buy more

Operant Behavior

fixed ratio requirement is increased, and demand or motivation to obtain reinforcer is decreased

Inelastic Demands

food and rent; more resistant to increase in demand

Elastic Demands

luxuries: movies, video games, music streaming services - less resistant to increase demand

* if instrumental response is too high, inelastic demand become more elastic e.g., medication prices becoming too high to afford

Common Sense

if things are cheap, there appears to be no preference in incentives. As price increases, more effort is required. As resources become scarce (time, energy, money), differences in preferences for incentives become clearer

what is more valuable to you as a person is clear

Substitution Effect

one reinforcer can replace another provided that serve the same function

e.g., Starbucks vs Dunkin lattes

Substitution effort among behaviors

if one behavior is restricted then another behavior increases

e.g., wanting to go to the beach but its raining, you'll find another activity to do

Economic Principles: Relationships

Investment model/ commitment

1: stayers - reward value increased, cost decreased

2. leavers - no change in reward, cost increase

3. abandoned - pay higher cost, alternative value decreased

*high investment also make ending a relationship more costly

Economic Principles: College

cost benefit situation (having to work less hours while in college, tuition)

Economic Principles: Helping

high empathy more likely to help, but because of cost there may be less empathy. Level of arousal of empathy determines likelihood of helping.

Economic Principles: Obesity

principle of least effort, energy intake is easier and word load lower

Economic Principles: Career

how many years of studying required