Unit 7 Motivation and Emotion

Theories of motivation:

Instinct theory, drive reduction theory, arousal theory

The general term for the biological, emotional, cognitive, and social processes involved in starting, directing, and maintaining behavior

Motivation

Human behavior includes a wide range of:

Motives and drives

Can a single comprehensive theory of motivation explain the enormous variety of human behavior?

No

Psychologists have developed how many theories of motivation?

Several

Why have psychologists developed several theories of motivation?

No single comprehensive theory of motivation can explain the enormous variety of human behavior

Fixed action patterns that are unlearned and occur in most members of a species

Instincts

Animals display a number of:

Fixed action patterns

Examples of fixed action patterns displayed by animals:

Bird migrations, mating rituals, and dominance displays

Early psychologists led by William James listed scores of:

Human instincts

Early psychologists like William James were inspired by:

Darwin's theory of evolution

The human instincts listed by psychologists like William James included:

Modesty, cleanliness, rivalry, and parental love

Did instinct theory fall out of favor?

Yes

When did instinct theory fall out of favor?

When it became evident that it lacked the ability to fully explain human motivation

Today, psychologists taking the evolutionary perspective explore the influence of our evolutionary history on:

Eating, the selection of mates, the expression of emotions, and other patterns of human behavior

What replaced instinct theory?

Drive reduction theory

When did drive reduction theory replace instinct theory?

1930s

The drive reduction theory is based on the biological concept of:

Homeostasis

Homeostasis literally means:

“Standing still”

According to the principle of homeostasis:

The body seeks to maintain a stable internal state

Examples of a stable internal state sought to maintain by the body:

Constant internal temperature and fluid levels

Example of the restoration of homeostasis:

After completing a marathon, runners drink a large quantity of water to restore homeostasis in their fluid levels

The body creates a ______ if any of its needs are unmet

Drive

A drive, which is created when any of the body’s needs are unmet, is a:

State of tension

Examples of drive in drive-reduction theory:

A person will drink water as a result of a drive for thirst and eat food as a result of a drive for hunger

The drive reduction theory is still used to explain:

Motivated behaviors that have a clear biological basis

However, the drive reduction theory cannot account for:

Many human behaviors

Examples of actions that cannot be accounted for by the drive reduction theory:

Buying the newest cell phone, contributing to a charity, and participating in an extreme sport

Why can’t actions like buying the newest cell phone, contributing to a charity, and participating in an extreme sport be accounted for by the drive reduction theory?

They cannot be explained by the satisfaction of a biological need

According to arousal theory:

Humans (and other animals) are innately curious and seek out complexity and novelty

The Yerkes-Dodson law states that:

An optimal level of psychological arousal helps performance

What happens when arousal is too low?

Our minds wander and we become bored

What happens when arousal is too high?

We become too anxious and "freeze-up”

People are thus motivated to seek a ______ level of stimulation

Moderate

Is a moderate level of stimulation too hard or too easy?

Neither

Why are people motivated to seek a moderate level of stimulation?

When arousal is too low our minds wander and we become bored. When arousal is too high we become too anxious and "freeze-up”

Example of people being motivated to seek a moderate level of stimulation that is neither too easy nor too hard

A youth soccer league proposes to implement a system in which games are played without keeping score. Removing scores may improve the performance of players who were too anxious. However, removing scores may cause highly competitive players to become bored thus undermining their
performance

Profession of Abraham Maslow:

Humanist psychologist

Abraham Maslow created a:

Hierarchy of needs

What does Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs do?

Combines and prioritizes biological, psychological, and social needs

Maslow identified a progression of ___ needs

5

According to Maslow, people begin with ______ needs

Basic physiological and safety

According to Maslow, what happens when basic physiological and safety needs are met?

The individual "moves up" to high-level needs

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs culminates with:

Self-actualization

Lowest hierarchy of needs according to Maslow:

Biological

Biological needs involve:

Basic survival needs

Basic survival needs involve:

Food, warmth, rest

Second lowest hierarchy of needs according to Maslow:

Safety

Safety needs involve:

Freedom from fear

Freedom from fear involves:

Certainty and stability

Middle hierarchy of needs according to Maslow:

Affiliation

The need for affiliation involves:

Sense of belonging

Sense of belonging involves:

Affection and love

Second highest hierarchy of needs according to Maslow:

Esteem

Esteem involves:

Self-belief and satisfaction

Self-belief and satisfaction involves:

Reputation and respect

Highest hierarchy of needs according to Maslow:

Self-fulfillment

Self-fulfillment involves:

Reaching full potential

According to Maslow, what do self-actualized individuals do?

Exhibit a strong moral sense, accept themselves as they are, are deeply democratic in nature, and willing to act independently of social and cultural pressures

Maslow’s critics have pointed out that it is possible for people living in poverty to:

Develop strong social ties and self-esteem

A part of the forebrain structure that regulates eating and drinking

Hypothalamus

What happens when the lateral hypothalamus is stimulated?

It causes an animal to eat

The lateral hypothalamus is known as the:

Hunger center

If the lateral hypothalamus is destroyed, an animal will:

Starve to death

What happens when the ventromedial hypothalamus is stimulated?

It causes an animal to stop eating

Ventromedial hypothalamus is called:

Satiety center

If the ventromedial hypothalamus is destroyed, the animal will:

Eat constantly and gain more and more weight

Set-point theory states that:

Humans and other animals have a natural or optimal body-fat level

How is the body like a thermostat?

Defends set-point weight

How does body defend set-point weight?

By regulating feelings of hunger and body metabolism

How much of adult Americans are officially overweight?

Two thirds

How much of overweight adult Americans are obese?

Half of them

Is obesity limited to adults?

No

One in ___ Americans between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight

6

Obesity contributes to:

Heart disease, diabetes, kidney failure, and many forms of cancer

About ____ adult deaths in the United States are directly attributable to obesity

300,000

Factors involved in becoming overweight and obese:

Living in environments with abundant and easily obtainable high-fat, high-calorie foods, leading a sedentary lifestyle, lacking adequate sleep, genetically predisposed to obesity

Results of Americans living in an environment with abundant and easily obtainable high-fat, high-calorie foods:

During the last 20 years average daily caloric intake has increased nearly 10 percent for men and 7 percent for women

Nearly ___ out of 10 Americans report that they never exercise

4

Lack of adequate sleep increases the production of:

Ghrelin

Grhrelin is an:

Appetite-increasing hormone

Lack of adequate sleep decreasing production of:

Leptin

What is leptin?

Appetite-suppressing hormone

Studies reveal that people with a family history of obesity are ______ times more likely than people with no such history to become obese

Two to three

An eating disorder characterized by a severe loss of weight resulting from a self-imposed starvation and an obsessive fear of obesity

Anorexia nervosa

The vast majority of anorexics are:

Women

Many psychologists believe that ______ create a distorted body image and a need for physical perfection

Pervasive cultural images of the "thin body ideal" of physical beauty

An eating disorder involving binge eating followed by vomiting, excessive exercise, or the use of laxatives

Bulimia nervosa

Is bulimia initially difficult to detect?

Yes

Why is bulimia difficult to detect initially?

Due to weight fluctuations within or just above the normal range

Bulimia causes:

Cardiac arrhythmias, severe damage to the throat, and serious digestive disorders

The drive to succeed, especially in competition with others

Achievement motivation

Research studies by David McClelland (1917-1998) and others show that individuals with a high need for achievement (nAch) typically:

Seek out tasks that are moderately difficult

How does one come to have achievement motivation?

Learnt

When does one learn achievement motivation?

Early in life

Achievement motivation is typically learnt from:

Parents

Highly motivated people are willing to:

Work long hours, overcome obstacles, and delay gratification to focus on a goal

Students display achievement motivation when they:

Take several practice tests to hone skills

A student with a high level of achievement motivation who scores a 1450 on the SAT and a 33 on the ACT would probably:

Take the test again to achieve an even higher score

Achievement motivation appears in different forms in:

Individualistic and collectivistic cultures