Psych 111 - Exam 2

Motives

• people hide them, may not be consciously aware of them

• determinants: personality, situations, genetics, etc

Motivation

inner state that energizes people toward the fulfillment of a goal

Instinct Theory

• things in environment are “releasers” which lead to instinctual pre-programmed responses

• environment releaser triggers fixed pattern responses

Drive Reduction Theory

notion that physiological needs arouse tension that motivates action

• biological need → drive → behavior → biological need

Arousal Theory

strive to maintain an optimal level of arousal

• seek stimulation if bored, relaxation if excited

Yerkes-Dodson Law

a psychological principle stating that performance increases with mental or physiological arousal (like stress or motivation) up to an optimal point, after which it declines.

Intrinsic Incentives

activities that are end unto themselves (eating, watching tv, etc.)

Extrinsic Incentives

Activities with external rewards or punishments (working, chores, etc.)

Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking Scale

A questionnaire that measures a person’s tendency to seek out novel, exciting, and intense experiences, often involving risk-taking.

Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s pyramid of human needs that must first be satisfied before higher-level safety needs and then psychological needs become active.

• Self Transcendence: find meaning and identity beyond self

• Self Actualization: live up to fullest and unique potential

• Esteem: Self esteem, achievement, competence, independence, respect

• Belongingness and Love: Love and be loved, belong, accepted, avoid loneliness and separation

• Safety: need to feel world is organized and predictable, feel safe

• Physiological: need to satisfy hunger and thirst

Cannon and Washburn’s Hunger Experiment

• Washburn swallowed a balloon to record stomach contractions

• Pushed button to report hunger feelings

• Hunger feelings came at peak of contractions (Contractions lead to hunger, not vice-versa.)

• People w/out stomachs still get hungry, amnesics will keep eating (forget they ate)

• Eating more increases glucose levels in bloodstream: eat → raised glucose → diminished hunger → don’t eat → lowered glucose → increased hunger → eat

Orexin

secreted by hypothalamus: triggers hunger

Leptin

secreted by fat cells: sends signals to brain, diminishing reward of food

Obestatin

secreted by stomach: sends “full” signals to brain

Ghrelin

secreted by empty stomach: sends hunger signals to brain

Insulin

secreted by pancreas: controls blood glucose

PPY (Peptide YY)

secreted by digestive tract: sends “not hungry” signals to brain

Hypothalamus

brain structure that regulates body temperature, release of hormones, and monitors glucose levels

Lateral Hypothalamus (LH)

“hunger center” if stimulate these cells, animal eats and eats. Starve to death if LH is destroyed

Ventromedial Hypothalamus (VH)

“satiation center” stimulate this and animal with not eat. Destroy VH and animal eats and eats

LH and VH Central Role

Hunger Drive

Body Weights of Twins

• identical twins are more similar in body weight than fraternal

• genetic factors: play large role

Anorexia Nervosa

Eat way too little to maintain a healthy weight

• mostly women, 1% of young women, higher among college students, partly genetic and cultural

Bulimia

Binge and purge. Overeat followed by vomiting, laxatives etc.

• mostly women, 2%-3% of women

TV in Fiji / Fallon and Rozin Study

After television was introduced to Fiji, researchers found increased body dissatisfaction and disordered eating attitudes among adolescent girls, suggesting that exposure to Western media can influence body-image ideals.

• Specific Study: showed that men and women often have different perceptions of the ideal body size, and that women tend to underestimate how thin men prefer women to be.

Sex

Basic physiological drive: for survival of the species as important as hunger.

• Big role played by hormones: e.g., testosterone, estrogen.

• And hypothalamus plays a role.

Testosterone

maintains sex drive in adult males

• castration decreases sex drive.

• testosterone injections or implantation to medial preoptic area can restore drive.

Belongingness Motives

People need people

• need for affiliation: desire to establish and maintain social connection

• need for intimacy: desire for close relationships characterized by open and intimate communication

Self Disclosure

Sharing of intimate details about oneself to another person (typically reciprocal, disclose at same levels, can’t jump, women disclose more than men and they elicit more from others, grows over time in relationships, determines how much you lie)

Achievement Motivation

strong desire to accomplish difficult tasks and outperform others and excel

Need for Power

Strong desire to acquire prestige and influence over other people

Reward Based Motivation

Many companies use incentive programs:

• Individualized incentives, time off or extra pay

• Small-group incentive plans, offering bonuses to work unit members for reaching goals

• Profit-sharing

• Recognition Programs (e.g., “Employee of the Month”)

• Pay-for-knowledge plan

What can cause lack of motivation

• Students see little value in the course or its content.

• Students do not believe that their efforts will improve their performance.

• Students are demotivated by the structure and allocation of rewards.

• Students do not perceive the classroom climate as supportive.

• Students have other priorities that compete for their time and attention.

Growth Mindset

abilities and intelligence are malleable traits and can be improved

Fixed Mindset

Abilities and intelligence are innate and cannot change

Yeager and Dweck

High school students taught about either growth or

fixed mindset

• Those who learned about growth mindset: Had higher grades, Were more likely to complete challenging courses, Had lower rates of aggression, Had lower levels of stress

Problem

consists of some initial state in which a person begins and a goal state that isto be attained, plus a non-obvious way of getting from the first to the second.

Well-structured (Well-defined) Problem

Completely specified starting conditions, goal state, and methods for achieving the goal (Geometry proofs)

ll-structured (Ill-defined) Problem

Some aspects are not completely specified.

• Finding the perfect mate.

• Choosing a career.

• Writing a great novel.

• Be happy in life.

• Fix the economy.

• Winning a war.

Problem Space

Whole range of possible states and operators, only some of which will lead to goal state

Operators

mental actions that move between states