Psych ch 8: Motivation and Emotion

Motivation

factors that activate, direct, and sustain goal-directed behavior

Motives

the “why’s” of behavior- the needs or wants that drive goal-directed behavior 

instinct theory 

proposes that behavior is motivated by instinct 

Instinctive behaviors

are genetically programmed, innate patterns of response that are specific to members of a particular species ex- babies rooting and sucking 

examples of instinctive behavior in other species

chicks open their mouths wide when the other returns to the nest and a kangaroo rat performs an escape jump when it hears the sound of a striking rattlesnake 

Do instincts motivate human behavior?

Sigmund Freud, William James, and William McDougall all believed that aspects of human behavior were motivated by physical and mental instincts. However psychologists today recognize that human behavior is much more variable and flexible than would be if it were determined by instinct 

Drive theory

belief that behavior is motivated by drives that arise from biological needs that demand satisfaction 

What is drive theory based on?

principles of homeostasis, the tendency of the body to maintain a steady internal state

Why is drive theory important?

important for learning, especially operant conditioning

primary drives

innate drives such as hunger, thirst, and sexual desire, that arise from basic biological needs 

Secondary drives

drives that are learned or acquired through experience, such as the drive to achieve monetary wealth

Stimulus motives

research by Harry Harlow’s suggested that humans and many other animals have innate, biologically based needs for exploration and activity 

Arousal theory

proposes that whenever the level of stimulation dips below an organism’s optimal level, the organism seeks ways of increasing it 

Sensation seekers

require a higher level of stimulus to reach peak arousal

Incentive theory

our attraction to particular goals or objects motivates much of our behavior 

Incentives

rewards or other stimuli that motivate us to act

What can cultural influences play a large role in?

determining incentive values

Psychological needs

reflect interpersonal aspects of motivation, such as the need for friendship or achievement 

Extrinsic motivation

desire for external rewards, such as money

Intrinsic motivation

desire for internal gratification, such as self-satisfaction upon reaching a goal 

achievement motivation

desire to achieve success

avoidance motivation

the desire to avoid failure

What does achievement motivation lead us to do?

undertake challenges that run the risk of failure but may also lead to success 

What does avoidance motivation lead us to do?

reduce the chance of failure, but at the cost of limiting the likelihood of success

Carol Dweck’s Self-theory of motivation 

nAch closely linked to personality factors, including view of self 

Internal locus of control

those who assume they have control over what happens in their lives

External locus of control

those who feel their lives are controlled by powerful others, luck, or fate 

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

concept that there is an order to human needs, which starts with basic biological needs and progresses to self-actualization

Maslow’s hierarchy of basic needs from bottom to top

physiological needs, safety needs, love and belongingness needs, esteem needs, and the need for self actualization 

What other things did Maslow propose later in his career

cognitive needs, aesthetic needs, and self-transcendence

Emotional intelligence 

ability to recognize emotions in yourself/others and to manage your own emotions effectively 

Five main characteristics of emotional intelligence

knowing your emotions, managing your emotions, motivating yourself, recognizing emotions in others, and helping others handle their emotions 

Basic components of emotions

bodily arousal, cognitions, and expressed behavior

bodily arousal

nervous system activation

cognitions

felt experience of the emotion, and accompanying thoughts

expressed behaviors 

outward expression of the emotion, such as moving toward a loved one or avoiding an unpleasant person

What did Charles Darwin believe about emotions?

believed that emotions evolved because they have an adaptive purpose in helping species survive and flourish

Paul Ekman

identified six basic facial expressions of emotions: anger, fear, disgust, sadness, happiness, and surprise 

Display rules

cultural customs and norms that govern the display of emotional expressions

Factors that make people happy?

having monetary resources to meet basic needs, engaging in rewarding or meaningful activities, strong social support from friends and loved ones, and being fortunate enough to be healthy

Positive psychology 

founder Martin Seligman suggests there’s 3 components of human happiness: pleasure of doing things, gratification, and meaning 

What do the limbic system and cerebral cortex do?

regulate emotions through complex brain networks

Amygdala

evaluates threat and triggers fear responses

Hippocampus

links emotion with memory to add context

Fontal lobes

helps control emotional response/impulse

Facial-feedback hypothesis

the belief that mimicking the facial movements associated with a particular emotion will produce the corresponding emotional state 

James-Lange theory

emotions occur after people become aware of their physiological responses to the triggering stimuli 

Cannon-Bard theory 

proposes that the subjective experience of an emotion and the bodily reactions associated with it occur virtually simultaneously 

Two-factor model

proposes that the combination of physiological arousal and cognitive appraisal of the source of the arousal produces the specific emotion 

Dual-pathway model of fear 

says the brain uses two pathways to process fear messages

1) “high road” leads to the cerebral cortex and evaluates the threat more carefully 

2) “low road” leads directly to the amygdala, allowing for an immediate response to the danger stimulus