PSY 100 - Chapter 9 Terms (Short Ver)

Motives

The needs, wants, interests, and desires that propel people in certain directions

Homeostasis

A state of physiological equilibrium

Need

An organism’s tendency to seek homeostasis through things that are critical for its survival (e.g., food, water, shelter, reproduction, etc.)

Drive

An internal state of tension (due to disruptions of homeostasis) that motivates (or “pushes”) an organism to engage in activities that should reduce this tension (e.g., shivering when cold)

Incentive

An external goal or reward that has the capacity to motivate (or “pull”) an organism toward specific behavior (e.g., rewarding a child for reading with candy)

Evolution

Motives are a product of ___; those who are motivated to survive and reproduce are more likely to survive and have their genes carry on

Biological

1. Brain Regulation in the Hypothalamus

2. Glucose (the more of it, the more full you feel)

3. Stomach Regulation (stretching + richness of nutrients)

4. Insulin (the more of it, the hungrier you feel)

5. Leptin (the more of it, the more full you feel)

6. Pleasure of Eating (palatability, quantity + variety offered)

7. Learned Preferences (e.g., expensive foods = more desirable)

8. Stress (can lead to an increase/decrease in eating)

These are ___ factors for hunger

Environmental

1. Palatability (the better the food, the more one consumes)

2. Quantity Available (people tend to consume what’s in front of them)

3. Variety (people eat more when more types of food are available)

4. Presence of Others (people tend to eat more when others are present)

5. Exposure to Food Cues (eating can be triggered to associated cues)

These are ___ factors for hunger

Parental Investment

The “costs” of each parent in terms of time, energy, survival risk, and forgone opportunities to produce and nurture offspring (usually higher in females)

Mate Copying

An increased preference for a partner because that partner is already another organism’s mate

Genetic Link for Homosexuality

For people who are gay, an identical twin is more likely to be gay than a fraternal twin, who is more likely to be gay than an adoptive sibling (this still applies if the twins have been separated since birth)

Uterine Memory

The number of hormones in a mother’s uterus may result is each subsequent boy she has being more likely to be gay

Achievement Motive

The need to master difficult challenges, outperform others, and meet high standards of excellence

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Designed to measure achievement; presents ambiguous situations or scenes, where the participant is asked to share their own story or interpretation of the image

Intermediate

Rather than choosing the more difficult or time-consuming challenges, people with a high need of achievement tend to choose ___ difficulty

Achieve

1. Motivation

2. Estimates of probability of success (higher likelihood of success)

3. Incentive Value (e.g., getting paid)

These are factors that affect the need to ___

Factors Involved in Emotion

1. Cognitive Response (a subjective conscious experience)

2. Physiological Response (bodily arousal)

3. Behavior Response (characteristic overt expressions)

Autonomic Arousal

A state of increased physiological activity controlled by the Sympathetic Nervous System and Parasympathetic Nervous System

Galvanic Skin Response (GSR)

A change in the electrical resistance of the skin caused by the amount of sweat/moisture produced by the body

Amygdala

Neural circuits in the ___ modulate emotions

Fast Pathway (Low Road)

Sensory input goes from the eyes or ears to the thalamus, then directly to the amygdala

Slow Pathway (High Road)

Sensory input goes from the eyes or ears to the thalamus, then through several structures in the conscious cortex before finally reaching the amygdala

Facial-Feedback Hypothesis

The idea that muscular feedback from one’s own expressions contribute to one’s conscious experience of the emotion (e.g., smiling can make you feel happier)

Universally Identified Emotions

1. Happiness

2. Sadness

3. Anger

4. Fear

5. Surprise

6. Disgust

Display Rules

Norms that regulate the appropriate expression of emotions based a culture’s preferences (e.g., the Japanese masking anger, sadness, and disgust)

Common Sense Theory

Argues that one’s perception of autonomic arousal results from the conscious experience of emotion

James-Lange Theory

Argues that our conscious experience of emotion results from one’s perception of autonomic arousal

Cannon-Bard Theory

Argues that emotion occurs when the thalamus sends signals simultaneously to both the cortex (creating conscious experience of emotion) and the autonomic nervous system (creating autonomic arousal)

Schachter-Singer’s Two Factory Theory

Argues that the experience of emotion is the result of autonomic arousal plus one’s cognitive interpretation of that arousal (i.e., you search your environment for an explanation of your emotion)

Universality Hypothesis

The idea that there are fundamental emotions that are universally recognized by different cultures, suggesting a biological basis for these emotions

Affiliation Motive

The need for belongingness, as suggested by evolutionary theorists

Hypothalamus

A tiny structure involved in the regulation of a variety of biological needs related to survival

Lateral Hypothalamus (LH)

If destroyed, animals show little to no interest in eating; acts as hunger’s accelerator pedal or “ON” switch

Ventromedial Hypothalamus (VMH)

If destroyed, animals eat excessively and gain weight rapidly, as if their ability to recognize satiety had been neutralized; acts as hunger’s brakes or “OFF” switch

Vague Nerve

Carries information about the stretching of the stomach walls that indicate when the stomach is full

Ghrelin

Hormone that is secreted by the stomach after it goes without food for some time; causes stomach contractions and promotes hunger

CCK

Hormone released by the upper intestine that delivers satiety signals to the brain, reducing hunger

Leptin

Hormone produced by fat cells that provides information about the body’s fat stores; high levels tend to result in low hunger while low levels tend to promote increased hunger

Insulin

Hormone secreted by the pancreas that removes glucose from the blood, turning it into energy; a high amount in the body tends to result in increased hunger

Taste Preferences

Food-eating habits that can be developed through classical conditioning and observational learning

Body Mass Index (BMI)

A method of measuring obesity calculated by dividing Weight (kg) by Height (m²)

BMI Classification of Obese

30+

Set Point

The natural weight range that your body tries to defend and maintain through internal biological controls

Parental Investment Theory

Suggests that basic differences between males and females in parental investment have great adaptive significance and lead to gender differences in mating tendencies and preferences

Kinsey Continuum

A method of viewing heterosexuality and homosexuality in which the two are end points (0 and 6, respectively) on a continuum, with many people falling between these two points

Fluidity

Sexuality in women seems to be characterized by more ___ than in men

Affective Forecasting

An effort to predict one’s emotional reactions to future events

Impact Bias

The tendency for people to overestimate the emotional impact of future events

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

Composed of the nerves that connect to the heart, blood vessels, smooth muscles, and glands

Sympathetic Nervous System

Division of the ANS that mobilizes bodily resources in response to stress

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Division of the ANS that conserves bodily resources

Polygraph

A device that records indicators of autonomic arousal (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and GSR) while a subject is questioned, in an attempt to “detect” lies