AP Psychology - Emotion and Motivation Unit

Motivation

Need or desire that energizes and directs behavior.

Instinct

Complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned.

Instinct Theory

Genetically predisposed behaviors.

Physiological Need

Basic bodily requirements.

Drive Reduction Theory

Physiological need creates an aroused state (drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy that need. Reduces arousal.

Homeostasis

Tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state. Regulates body chemistry, like blood sugar, around a certain level.

Incentive

Positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior.

Arousal Theory

Finding the right level of stimulation/arousal. Some behaviors increase arousal.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Performance increases with arousal only up to a certain point, beyond that performance decreases.

Optimum performance

Moderate arousal is best for this.

Hierarchy of Needs Father

Abraham Maslow

Hierarchy of Needs

Pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must be satisfied before higher level safety needs and psychological needs become active.

Hierarchy of Needs Order

Physiological, safety, belongingness and love, esteem, self-actualization, and self-transcendence.

Four Theories of Motivation

Instinct theory, arousal theory, drive reduction theory, and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Self-Transcendence

People strive for meaning and purpose beyond themselves. People sense meaning when they feel their life has purpose, significance, and coherence.

Glucose

Form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major sources of energy for body tissue.

Insulin

Secreted by the pancreas, diminish blood glucose, partially converting it to stored fat.

Hypothalamus

Controls hunger and in charge of homeostasis.

Arcuate Nucleus

Secretes appetite stimulating hormone. If stimulated too much leads to over eating. If destroyed, leads to starvation.

Set Point

The weight the body tries to maintain. Is influenced by body type and heredity.

Basal Metabolic Rate

Body’s resting rate of energy expenditure. The calories used for basic body functions.

Ghrelin

Secreted by an empty stomach to tell the brain you are hungry.

Orexin

Hunger hormone secreted by the hypothalamus.

Insulin

Secreted by the pancreas, controls blood glucose.

Leptin

Secreted by fat cells; causes an increased metabolism and decreased hunger.

PYY

secreted by digestive tract. Is what sends “not hungry” signals to the brain.

Carbohydrates

Boost serotonin to create a calming effect. Eaten when depressed.

Sweets

Promotes dopamine which is rewarding. Eaten when stressed.

Neophobia

Dislike of unfamiliar things, adaptive and protective for our ancestors.

Obesity

Body mass index of 30 or higher.

Overweight

Body mass index of 25 or higher

Asexual

No sexual attraction to others.

Testosterone

Most important male sex hormone. Stimulates growth of male sex organs during fetal period and development of male sex characteristics during puberty.

Estrogen

Sex hormone such as estradiol, contributes to female sex characteristics, peak during ovulation.

Sex Hormones

Testosterone and Estrogen. Present in both males and females. Help to direct development as a male or female during prenatal development.

Sexual Response Cycle

Excitement, plateau, orgasm, resolution.

Desensitization

Smaller brain area associated with sexual pleasure, erectile dysfunction, lowered sexual drive.

Affiliation Need

Need to build relationships and feel part of a group.

Ostracism

Deliberate social exclusion of individuals or groups. Leads to increased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex.

Achievement Motivation

Desire for significant accomplishment, for mastery of skills or ideas, for control and for attaining a high standard.

Grit

Passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long term goals.

Narcissism

Excessive self love and self-absorption.

Theories of Emotion

James-Lange Theory, Cannon-Bard Theory, Schachter-Singer (2 factor theory), Zajonc and LeDoux, and Lazurus.

Emotion

A response of the whole organism involving physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience.

James-Lange Theory

Emotion is our awareness of our physiological response to an emotion-arousing stimulus.

James-Lange Theory Example

Noticing your heart is racing and physically shaking, and then felt fear.

Cannon-Bard Theory

An Emotion arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers physiological responses and subjective experience of emotion.

Evidence Against Cannon-Bard Theory

People with spinal cord injuries, who could feel nothing below the neck, experienced less intense emotions after losing feeling.

Schachter-Singer Theory

Also known as 2 factors theory. Emotion must be physically aroused and cognitively label the arousal.

Schachter-Singer Theory Example

Arousal+Label=emotion.

Zajonc

We have emotional reactions (complex emotions) before conscious interpretation of a situation. Known for high road.

High Road

Stimulus travels through the thalamus to the brain’s cortex. It’s then analyzed, labeled, and sent to the amygdala (emotion control center). Considered unlabeled emotions or when you have too many emotions.

Le Doux

Simple Emotions, speedy reflexes like anger or fear.

Low Road

Emotions bypass the cortex and travel directly to the amygdala.

Zajonc and Le Doux

High road and load road are paired together in the theories of emotions.

Lazarus

We appraise (sometimes unconsciously) situations as harmless or dangerous and then have an emotional reaction about them.

Reappraisal

Can reduce distress and emotional responses, otherwise known as rethinking emotions.

Basic Emotions

Anger, fear,joy, sadness, disgust

Cortex

Outer Brain

Fear

Arises from the person’s interpretation that the situation is dangerous. Rooted in anticipation of physical or psychological harm.

Anger

The most passionate emotion, and can lead to aggression.

Anger Example

The more a person expresses this, the more status and respect the person has in society.

Disgust

Original, primitive function was to prevent oral incorporation of offensive substances, like spoiled food.

Contempt

Arises from a sense of being morally superior to someone else. Is an inherently social emotion that maintains the social hierarchy. Signals one’s dominance and superiority over another.

Sadness

The most negative emotion and promotes personal reflection. Comes from separation and failure. When dwelled on can lead to depression

Joy

Leads to a want to participate in social activities, a more pleasant life, and helps to balance negatives.

Interest

Creates the urge to explore, investigate, seek, manipulate, and extract information. Motivates engagement and promotes learning skills.

Shame

Powerful emotion, associated with feelings of inferiority, worthlessness.

Guilt

Evaluates the behavior (not yourself), does not change your value. Focuses on the worth of the behavior not the worth of the person.

Shame Example

Sandy feels like a terrible person because she scored low on her test.

Guilt Example

Sandy feels terrible about not study and scoring low on test.

Embarrassment

Main function is to appease the audience. Part of you feels the need to hide something like a social blunder.

Pride

The positive aspect promotes achievement behavior, prosocial behavior, and self esteem. While the negative behavior can be associated with narcissism, contributes to aggression, relationship conflict, and antisocial behavior.

Triumph

Emotion after victory in competition.

Envy

Painful emotion caused by the good fortune of others. Has both a constructive aspect and a destructive aspect.

Benign Envy

Improving one’s position and leads to constructive behavior aimed at moving up.

Malicious Envy

Improving one’s position by pulling someone else down.

Disappointment

Occurs when comparing the actual outcome to a possible outcome (what could have happened).

Regret

Arises with the nonoccurence of a desired outcome cause by a wrong behavior or bad choice.

Schadenfreude

Taking pleasure in the misfortune of others. Usually the person is disliked, envied, or resented.

Hope

A wish that a desired goal will be attained.

Empathy

Feeling what another person feels. There are two principles associated: imagining yourself in their place and mimiery of facial expression, tone, posture etc. It also heightens the perception of closeness towards the other, while promoting prosocial behavior.

Compassion

The positive aspect of it connotes caring when the focus is on another person who is suffering. The negative aspect is tightly paired with distress and suffering when the individual focuses on the personal distress.

Emotions

Are easily traceable back to the cause and short lived.

Moods

Hard to trace back to the cause and are the overall feel of a person, lasting longer.

Insula

Neural center deep in the brain. It is activated by various negative social emotions. Is unable to tell physical disgust from emotional disgust.

Positive Emotions

Activity in the left frontal lobe.

Negative Emotions

Activity in the right frontal lobe

Emotional Intelligence

The ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions. A better recognition leads to better management of emotions.

Facial Feedback Effect

Tendency of behaviors to influence our own and others’ thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

Stress

Process by which we perceive and respond to certain events (stressors) that we appraise as threatening or challenging.

Types of Stressors

Catastrophes, significant life changes, daily hassle and social stress.

Catastrophes

Unpredictable large scale events.

Significant Life Changes Examples

Passing of a loved one, moving, divorce, graduation, and going to college.

Daily Hassle and Social Stress

Approach-Approach, Avoidance-Avoidance, and Approach-Avoidance.

General Adaption Syndrome

Hans Selye’s concept of the body’s adaptive response to stress in 3 phases. Also known as GAS.

GAS Phase 1 (Alarm)

Sympathetic nervous system is activated. Fight or Flight.

GAS Phase 2 (Resistance)

Heightened alert, release of adrenaline, reserves begin to dwindle.

GAS Phase 3 (Exhaustion)

The body becomes vulnerable to illness or death.

Health Psychology

Sub-field of psych that provides psychology’s contribution to behavioral medicine.