Motivation and Emotion

Definition (#f7aeae)

Important (#edcae9)

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Key Concepts:

Motivation:

1. Biological Motives

2. Stimulus Motives

3. Learned Motives

Emotion:

James-Lange Theory

Cannon-Bard Theory

Schachter’s Cognitive Theory of Emotions

Basics of Motivation:

The ways in which our actions are aroused, maintained, and guided.

Follows a pattern:

• Need: Internal deficiency; causes drive.

• Drive: Energized motivational state (Hunger); activates a response.

• Response: Action or series of actions designed to attain a goal.

• Goal: Target of motivated behavior.

Need → Drive → Response → Goal → Need reduction

Biological Motives:

• Motives that are based on biological needs that must be met for survival.

• They are important as they maintain the bodily equilibrium.

Sleep:

• Biological needs are governed by our ‘Circadian Rhythms’, an biological clock regulating cycles of alertness and sleep.

• The cyclical change in our body functions and arousal levels, vary on a schedule approximating a 24-hour day.

• Cycles are more visible after a major change in time zones. Ex: Jet lag.

Hunger:

• Hypothalamus regulates many motives including hunger and thirst.

• The lateral hypothalamus activates when ghrelin, a type of hormone, is released by the stomach.

• External eating cues also influence hunger:

  • Taste: Availability or tasty foods can stimulate eating.

  • Emotional eating: Emotions are linked with eating. Individuals tend to overeat when anxious, angry, or sad.

  • Cultural factors: Affects the incentive value of foods. Ex: Differences in diets, different parts of the world; Vietnam (lots of vegetables) vs Malaysia (greasy foods).

Eating Disorders:

• Anorexia nervosa: : Active self-starvation or loss of appetite that seems to have psychological origins.

• Bulimia nervosa: Excessive eating usually followed by self-induced compensatory behaviours such as vomiting, laxatives or exercise.

Stimulus Motives:

• Needs for stimulation and information, exploration, manipulation and sensory input.

• Appears to be innate though not directly needed for survival.

• Helps us scan the environment for food, identify danger and safety.

Stimulus Motives:

• Arousal theory: We try to keep arousal at an optimal level.

• Most people perform their best when arousal level is moderate.

• But too little may keep you under-motivated.

Learned Motives:

• Drives and goals are often social by nature or associated with concepts humans value.

• Social motives are acquired in complex ways, through socialization, cultural conditioning.

McClelland’s Human Motivation Theory:

• We are driven by 3 primary needs.

  • Need for Achievement: Desire to meet an internal standard of excellence.

  • Need for Power: Desire to have impact or control over others.

  • Need for Affiliation: Desire to belong to a group and to be liked.

Maslow Hierarchy of Needs:

• Lower needs are dominant, and need to be satisfied before attaining higher needs.

• Starts from bottom, and eventually moves up as needs are fulfilled.

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation:

• Intrinsic Motivation: Motivation coming from within, not from external rewards; based on personal enjoyment of a task.

• Extrinsic Motivation: Based on external rewards or obligations, e.g. running a business.

Emotions:

• Positive emotions are processed mainly in the left hemisphere.

• Negative emotions are processed in the right hemisphere.

• Amygdala: Part of limbic system that specializes in fear responses.

• It receives sensory information very quickly and directly, allowing us to respond quickly.

• May explain why those with phobia or experience intense fear may feel afraid without knowing why.

• There are 8 primary emotions (Robert Plutchik, 2003).

Lie Detectors:

• Polygraph: Device that records changes in heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and galvanic skin response (GSR).

• GSR: Measures sweating.

• Polygraph measures autonomic nervous system arousal.

• Accuracy of lie detectors is doubtful and it can be a serious invasion of privacy

Emotional Expressions:

• Big 6: Facial expressions (happy, sad, angry) are recognized easily.

• Levant (2006) believed that males are less expressive in emotions but don’t experience less emotions.

Theory of Emotions:

• Differences in theories explaining what happens as we experience emotions.

• James Lange theory: Emotional feelings follow bodily arousal and awareness of such arousals.

• Cannon-Bard Theory: Emotional feelings and physiological arousal occur at the same time.

• Schachter & Singer’s Two-Factor Theory: Emotions occurs when we first experience physiological arousals (1st Factor), and then interpret a particular mental label (2nd Factor) to them.

  • Labels are applied through ‘Attribution’.

  • Attribution: Process of determining the cause to an event.

  • Misattributions can occur.