AP Psych Unit 10

Sexual strategies theory

A theory that maintains that women and men have evolved distinct mating strategies due to different adaptive problems over human history.

Emotion

An immediate, specific negative or positive response to environmental events or internal thoughts.

Feeling

The subjective experience of emotion.

Mood

Diffuse, long-lasting emotional states generally without an identifiable trigger.

Primary emotions

Emotions that are innate, evolutionarily adaptive, and universal.

Secondary emotions

Emotions that are shown in specific regions and are blends of primary emotions.

Circumplex model

A model that describes emotional valence as how positive or negative an emotion is and emotional arousal as the level of physiological activation an emotion elicits.

Insula

A brain region that receives and integrates somatosensory signals, making us aware of our bodily states, and plays a role in disgust, anger, guilt, and anxiety.

Amygdala

A brain structure that processes the emotional significance of stimuli and generates appropriate responses based on their significance.

James-Lange theory of emotion

The belief that our body perceives an emotion and responds prior to us being able to assign an emotion to our feelings.

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

The theory that facial expressions can influence emotional experiences.

Cannon-Bard theory of emotion

The belief that the body and mind receive emotional signals simultaneously and separately.

Schachter-Singer two-factor theory of emotion

A theory that suggests emotion is based on physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation of that arousal.

Misattribution of arousal

The incorrect identification of the sources of one's arousal.

Excitation transfer

Residual physiological arousal that is misattributed to a new stimulus.

Affect-as-information

The use of moods to make judgments.

Somatic markers

Bodily reactions arising from emotional evaluation of action consequences.

Display Rules

Socially learned rules that dictate which emotions are appropriate for specific situations.

Motivation

A process that energizes, guides, and maintains behavior toward a goal.

Need

A state of biological or social deficiency.

Maslow’s Need Hierarchy

A theory that states basic survival needs must be met before higher-order needs can be satisfied.

Self-actualization

A state achieved when one’s personal dreams have been fulfilled.

Drive

A psychological state that motivates an organism to satisfy needs by creating arousal.

Homeostasis

The tendency for bodily functions to maintain equilibrium.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

The principle stating that an optimal level of arousal is necessary to perform tasks effectively.

Incentives

External objects or goals that motivate behaviors.

Extrinsic Motivation

Motivation driven by external rewards or goals.

Intrinsic Motivation

Motivation driven by internal desires.

Self-determination theory

A theory positing that people are motivated to satisfy needs for competence and autonomy.

Self-perception theory

The theory that people are often unaware of their specific motives and are more likely to act when offered external rewards.

Self-regulation

The process of altering behavior to achieve goals.

Albert Bandura

A psychologist who emphasized the role of personal expectations for success in motivation.

Achievement motive

The desire to perform well relative to standards of excellence.

Need to Belong Theory

The theory that the need for interpersonal attachments is a fundamental motive.

Social Comparison Theory

The theory stating that people are motivated to have accurate information about themselves and others.

Hyperphagia

An abnormal increase in the sensation of hunger, often leading to obesity.

Aphagia

An inability or refusal to swallow food, potentially leading to weight loss or death.

Gourmand Syndrome

An obsession with the quality and variety of food resulting from damage to the limbic system.

Glucostatic theory

The theory that the body monitors glucose levels in the blood to regulate hunger.

Lipostatic theory

The theory that the body monitors fat levels to regulate eating behavior.

Leptin

A hormone that regulates body fat by signaling the brain to stop consumption.

Ghrelin

A hormone that triggers eating; levels surge when weight is lost.

Sensory-specific satiety

The phenomenon where we tire of the same flavor but can continue eating when presented with new flavors.

Sexual Response Cycle

A four-stage pattern of physiological and psychological responses during sexual activity.