Motivation, Hunger, and Emotion – Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering major concepts from the lecture on motivation, hunger, and emotion: classic and contemporary motivation theories, biological and psychological factors in eating, components and regulation of emotion, neuroscience of emotion, and leading emotion theories.

Motivation

The internal and external forces that initiate, direct, and sustain behavior—the “why” behind actions.

Activation (Motivation)

The initial decision or action that starts a behavior toward a goal.

Persistence (Motivation)

Continued effort or determination in pursuing a goal despite obstacles.

Intensity (Motivation)

The energy, vigor, and focused attention devoted to a motivated behavior.

Instinct Theory

Early view (James, McDougall) that certain behaviors are innate, unlearned, and evolutionarily programmed.

Drive Theory

Theory that behavior is motivated by the need to reduce internal tension caused by unmet biological needs (maintain homeostasis).

Homeostasis

The body’s tendency to maintain a balanced, constant internal state (e.g., temperature, energy).

Incentive Theory

Perspective that external goals or rewards (money, praise) “pull” behavior.

Arousal Theory

View that people seek an optimal level of physiological arousal—too low causes boredom, too high causes stress.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Principle stating performance is best at moderate arousal, with the optimal point varying by task.

Sensation Seeking

Trait describing the desire for varied, novel, and intense experiences to reach a preferred arousal level.

Humanistic Theories of Motivation

Approaches (Rogers, Maslow) emphasizing personal growth, self-fulfillment, and realizing potential.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Five-level model in which basic physiological needs must be satisfied before higher psychological and self-fulfillment needs.

Need to Belong

Fundamental drive to form and maintain lasting, positive, mutually caring relationships.

Self-Determination Theory (SDT)

Deci & Ryan’s theory that optimal functioning requires satisfying autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

Autonomy (SDT)

Feeling in control of one’s own behavior and life choices.

Competence (SDT)

Feeling effective and capable of mastering tasks.

Relatedness (SDT)

Feeling socially connected and having meaningful relationships.

Intrinsic Motivation

Doing an activity for inherent satisfaction or interest.

Extrinsic Motivation

Doing an activity to obtain external rewards or avoid punishment.

Achievement Motivation

Desire to excel, succeed, or outperform others.

Mastery Goals

Goal orientation focused on learning, improving, and personal growth (growth mindset).

Performance Goals

Goal orientation focused on demonstrating competence and outperforming others (fixed mindset).

Hunger

Biological motive influenced by hormones, brain signals, social cues, and emotions that prompts eating.

Energy Homeostasis

Balance between calories consumed and calories expended to maintain body weight.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

Energy the body uses for vital functions while at rest.

Glucose

Primary blood sugar that supplies energy; fluctuations signal hunger and satiety.

Insulin

Pancreatic hormone that regulates blood glucose and influences hunger and body weight.

Ghrelin

Stomach hormone that rises before meals and triggers hunger.

Satiation

Feeling of fullness that leads to stopping eating.

Cholecystokinin (CCK)

Intestinal hormone that slows stomach emptying and promotes satiation.

Leptin

Hormone released by fat cells signaling fat stores to the brain and helping regulate appetite and metabolism.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY)

Hypothalamic neurotransmitter that stimulates appetite and reduces energy expenditure.

Set-Point Theory

Idea that the body defends an internally set weight by adjusting hunger and metabolism.

Thrifty Gene Hypothesis

Evolutionary proposal that some people inherit genes favoring efficient fat storage, beneficial in scarcity but risky in abundance.

Weight-Related Stigma

Social devaluation or discrimination based on body size, linked to stress and poorer health.

Emotion

Complex psychological state involving subjective experience, physiological arousal, and expressive behavior.

Cognitive Component of Emotion

Subjective conscious evaluation labeled as a feeling (e.g., ‘I feel happy’).

Physiological Component of Emotion

Bodily arousal (heart rate, sweating) produced by the autonomic nervous system.

Behavioral Component of Emotion

Observable expressions such as facial movements, gestures, and vocal tones.

Mood

Longer-lasting, milder affective state without a specific trigger, contrasted with brief, intense emotions.

Basic Emotions

Biologically innate, universal emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust.

Display Rules

Cultural norms dictating how, when, and where emotions should be expressed.

Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS)

Branch of autonomic nervous system producing arousal (fight-or-flight) during emotional states.

Polygraph

Device measuring physiological markers (heart rate, skin conductance) assumed to indicate lying.

Microexpressions

Very brief, involuntary facial expressions revealing concealed emotions.

Amygdala

Limbic-system structure essential for processing fear and other emotions and triggering physiological responses.

LeDoux’s High Road

Thalamus-cortex-amygdala pathway allowing slower, deliberate appraisal of emotional stimuli.

LeDoux’s Low Road

Thalamus-direct-to-amygdala pathway enabling rapid, automatic emotional reactions.

Emotion Regulation

Processes by which individuals influence which emotions they have, when they have them, and how they experience or express them.

Reappraisal

Cognitive strategy of reframing a situation to alter its emotional impact.

Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex

Brain region that helps inhibit amygdala activity and supports emotional control and decision making.

James-Lange Theory

View that emotions arise from perception of bodily changes: stimulus → physiological response → emotion.

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

Idea that facial expressions can influence the subjective experience of emotion.

Two-Factor Theory (Schachter & Singer)

Theory that emotion results from physiological arousal plus a cognitive label identifying the arousal’s cause.

Excitation Transfer

Spill-over of residual arousal from one event intensifying emotional reactions to a subsequent event.

Cognitive Appraisal Theory

View that emotion stems from evaluation of how a situation affects personal well-being before physiological response.