Lecture Motivation and Emotion

Page 1: Introduction

• Focus on Motivation & Emotion

• Explore the reasons behind human behavior.

Page 2: What is Motivation?

• Definition: The wants or needs directing behavior towards a goal.

• Types of Motivation:

  • Intrinsic Motivation: Arises from within the individual.

  • Extrinsic Motivation: Driven by outside factors.

• Key aspects:

  • Autonomy

  • Compensation

  • Mastery

  • Punishment

  • Purpose

  • Reward

Page 3: Motivation: Instinct Drives Behavior

• William James's Theory: Behavior driven by instincts aiding survival.

• Instincts: Species-specific and innate (e.g., sucking behavior).

Page 4: Motivation: Drive Theory

• Concept of homeostasis: Body maintains a balanced state.

  • Physiological needs trigger behaviors to restore balance.

• Formation of habits is a response to needs.

• Optimal Level of Arousal:

  • Simple tasks perform best at high arousal; complex tasks at lower levels.

  • Yerkes-Dodson Law: Performance correlates with arousal but has limits.

Page 5: Self-efficacy and Social Motives

• Albert Bandura's concept of self-efficacy: belief in task completion influences actions and goals.

• Social motives include:

  • Need for achievement

  • Need for affiliation

  • Need for intimacy

Page 6: Motivation: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

• Hierarchical levels include cognitive and aesthetic needs (between esteem and self-actualization).

• Self-transcendence: Some versions include a higher tier for this need.

Page 7: What Motivates Eating?

• Hunger and satiety signals integrated in the brain regulate eating behaviors.

Page 8: What Motivates Eating? Metabolism and Set Point

• Metabolic Rate: Varies significantly among individuals; energy expenditure over time.

• Set-Point Theory: Each person has an ideal body weight, resistant to change through compensatory measures in energy intake/expenditure.

Page 9: Eating Disorders

• Anorexia Nervosa: Maintains dangerously low weight via starvation/excessive exercise; distorted body image leads to severe health issues.

  • Health impacts: bone loss, kidney failure, etc.

• Binge Eating Disorder: Characterized by binge eating with associated distress.

• Bulimia Nervosa: Binge eating followed by purging; leads to significant health problems.

Page 10: Physiological Mechanisms of Sexual Behavior and Motivation

• Medial Preoptic Area: Involved in sexual behavior capability but not motivation.

• Amygdala and Nucleus Accumbens: Influence motivation for sexual activity.

Page 11: Sexual Behavior: Kinsey

• Kinsey's findings:

  • Women exhibit similar interest and experience in sex as men.

  • Both genders masturbate without negative health effects.

  • Homosexual acts are prevalent.

  • Kinsey Scale: Ranges from homosexual to heterosexual to bisexual orientation.

Page 12: Sexual Behavior: Masters and Johnson

• Phases of the sexual response cycle are graphically illustrated by their research.

Page 13: Sexual Orientation

• Heterosexual: Attraction to opposite sex.

• Homosexual: Attraction to same sex.

• Bisexual: Attraction to both sexes.

• Birth and immutability: Evidence suggests that sexual orientation is inherent and cannot be changed.

Page 14: Gender Identity

• Definition: One’s internal sense of being male or female.

• Gender dysphoria: Persistent dissonance between identity and biological sex causing distress.

• Transgender hormone therapy: Alters appearance to better align with identified gender.

• Cultural diversity in gender categorizations.

Page 15: Components of Emotion

• Emotion: Subjective feelings that encompass various components:

  • Physiological arousal

  • Psychological appraisal

  • Subjective experiences

Page 16: Theories of Emotion

• James-Lange Theory: Emotions arise from physiological responses (e.g., heart pounding).

• Cannon-Bard Theory: Physiological response and emotion occur simultaneously.

• Schachter-Singer Two-Factor Theory: Emotion includes a cognitive label of physiological arousal.

• Lazarus' Cognitive-Mediational Theory: Emotion involves cognitive appraisal combined with physiological responses.

Page 17: Biology of Emotions: The Limbic System

• Hypothalamus: Activates the sympathetic nervous system.

• Thalamus: Sensory information relay center.

• Amygdala: Processes emotional information.

• Hippocampus: Integrates emotional experiences with cognition.

Page 18: Biology of Emotions: Inside the Amygdala

• Basolateral Complex: Attaches emotional value to memory through conditioning.

• Central Nucleus: Regulates attention and connections with autonomic and endocrine systems.

Page 19: Expressing and Recognizing Emotion

• Cultural Display Rules: Norms governing acceptable emotional expressions in different cultures.

• Facial Feedback Hypothesis: Facial expressions can influence emotional experiences.

• Body Language: Communication of emotion through physical posture and movement.

Page 20: Universal Emotions and Facial Expressions

• Seven universal emotions recognized through distinct facial expressions:

  • Happiness

  • Surprise

  • Sadness

  • Fear

  • Disgust

  • Contempt

  • Anger

Page 21: An Ending Thought...

• Connection between emotion and motivation: Emotions drive behavior; we seek enjoyable experiences and avoid discomfort.

• Reflection on similarities with learning theories from previous modules.