Unit 4.7-4.8- Motivation and Emotion

Motivation

a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior

Fixed action patterns

an instinctive activity pattern that causes animals to act in a specific behavior pattern unique to their species

Physiological needs

those relating to the basic biological necessities of life: food, drink, rest, and shelter

Homeostasis

tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state that is optimal for functioning

Incentive

a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior

Disinhibition

the sudden recovery of a response during an extinction procedure when a novel stimulus is introduced

Boredom susceptibility

a quality that represents a dislike of repetition, predictability and monotony

Yerkes & Dodson law

the principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases

Intrinsic motivation

A desire to perform a behavior for its own sake

Extrinsic motivation

a desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment

Approach-approach

Conflict that results from having to choose between two attractive alternatives

Avoidance-avoidance

Conflict that results from having to choose between two distasteful alternatives

Approach-avoidance

Conflict that results from having to choose an alternative that has both attractive and unappealing aspects

Pituitary gland

The endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.

Set point

the point at which an individual's "weight thermostat" is supposedly set. When the body falls below this weight, an increase in hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may act to restore the lost weight.

Basal metabolic rate

the rate at which heat is produced by an individual in a resting state

Two factor theory

Schachter's theory that to experience emotion one must (1) be physically aroused and (2) cognitively label the arousal

Reflexive approach

critically thinking about the way one thinks; reflecting on one's own experience

Cognitive-mediation theory

Observed movements are translated into a symbolic memory code (stored memory representation) that is used to guide performance

Spillover effect

arousal response to one event spills over into our response to the next event

Dutton and Aron (1974)

Male subjects approached by an attractive female experimenter on a high suspension bridge were shown to mislabel their fear for sexual attraction.

Supports Cognitive Labelling Theory.

Romeo & Juliet effect

The intensification of romantic love that can occur when the couple's parents oppose relationship.

James-Lange Theory

the theory that emotion results from physiological states triggered by stimuli in the environment (arousal before emotion)

Cannon-Bard Theory

the theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers (1) physiological responses and (2) the subjective experience of emotion

Display rules

cross-cultural guidelines for how and when to express emotions

Elicitors

Stimuli that trigger emotional responses

Facial feedback effect

facial movement and expressions can influence attitude and emotional experience (smile => feel happy)

Behavior feedback effect

the tendency of behavior to influence our own and others' thoughts, feelings, and actions

Broaden-and-build theory

Theory proposing that positive emotional experiences tend to broaden awareness and encourage new actions and thoughts. Negative emotions tend to reduce awareness and narrow thinking and action.