Motivation and Emotions

Definition: Broad term describing reasons for actions, or the "why" of behavior.
Study of Motivation: Often differs from what people associate with motivational speakers.
- Key areas of focus in Motivation Science (Psych 122):
  - Needs and Drives
  - Hunger and Thirst
  - Sex and Attraction
  - Addiction
  - Fear, Aggression, and Violence
  - Behavioral Genetics and Evolutionary Influences
  - Greed and Altruism
  - Persuasion and Cooperation
  - Advertising
  - Achievements
  - Education
  - Sports Psychology

Primary Needs: Mechanisms that detect when the body is out of homeostasis (e.g., dehydration triggers a need for water).
Secondary Needs: Psychological needs including curiosity, achievement, and acceptance.
Drive: Pushes behavior into action and originates from primary and secondary needs.

Curiosity Drive Theory: Suggests a theoretical drive to reduce uncertainty or ambiguity in experiences.
Optimal Arousal Theory: People strive for an ideal arousal level; too much arousal causes anxiety and avoidance, while too little leads to exploratory behaviors.
Boredom Drive: The need to maintain a preferred level of stimulation.

Concept: Proposed by Abraham Maslow, suggesting that physiological and safety needs must be met before higher-level needs can be addressed (such as self-esteem and self-actualization).

Challenges:
- Difficult to test empirically.
- Assumption that individuals in lower economic status cannot achieve self-esteem or love due to poverty leads to attending only to lower needs.
- Perceived elitism in the pyramid of needs.

Extrinsically Motivated: Behaviors driven by expected outcomes (e.g., money, prestige, awards, approval).
Intrinsically Motivated: Behaviors based on internal reasons (e.g., pride, curiosity, challenge, joy in the activity itself).
Impact of Extrinsic Rewards: Can hinder problem solving and creativity, illustrated by the candle problem which demonstrates functional fixedness.

Example: Points out the impact of extrinsic rewards on creative problem-solving abilities.
Quote: "I never let schooling interfere with my education." - Mark Twain.

Yerkes-Dodson Law: Illustrates an inverted U-shaped relationship between arousal and performance; optimal performance occurs at moderate arousal levels.

Curiosity drives are crucial for normal brain development.
Rosenzweig et al. (1962) Study:
- Groups of rats housed in different environments: isolated, small enclosure, enriched environment.
- Findings: Rats in enriched environments exhibited higher curiosity, activity levels, and brain size compared to others.
- Implications for children in deprived environments (e.g., war orphans) exhibiting developmental issues.

Hypothalamus: Monitors blood nutrients (sugars, fats).
Glucostatic Theory: Hunger is motivated by maintaining steady glucose levels.
Lipostatic Theory: Body seeks to stabilize long-term fat levels/weight.

Eating influenced by circadian rhythms, associative learning, and memory.
Sensory-Specific Satiety: Lower motivation to eat when food flavor variability is low; hence higher calorie intake seen at buffets offering diverse flavors.

Addiction: Compulsive behavior resulting in harm to the individual and others.
Incentive Sensitization Theory: Addiction-related stimuli trigger cravings due to associations with drug use.

Definition: Subjective feelings tied to positive or negative events/thoughts.
Moods: Prolonged emotional states.
Affect: Psychologist's term for subjective experiences of emotions/moods, including affective disorders like depression and bipolar disorder.

Paul Ekman’s Basic Emotions: Fear, anger, happiness, sadness, contempt, disgust, and surprise.
Classical Theory: Specific emotions link to unique body language, facial expressions, and physiological responses.
Universality of Emotions: Supported by Darwin and Ekman, proposing biological basis for emotions and their expressions.

Emotions serve survival functions. Examples include:
- Attachment to food/mate
- Fear of predators
- Sadness leading to crying (can attract help)
- External cues of emotions to reduce conflicts.

Diagram representing eight primary emotions and their subcategories, reflecting emotional intensity and potential blends to form new emotions.

Discuss relationship between physiological reactions and emotional feelings.
James-Lange Theory: Emotions arise from brain interpreting physiological responses to stimuli.
Cannon-Bard Theory: Emotional feelings occur separately from physiological responses.
Schachter-Singer Two-Factor Theory: Emotional interpretation arises from both physiological response and context.

Impact of Wealth: Increased self-reported happiness with wealth, but only up to a certain point.
Genetic Influence: Personality may determine individual happiness set points, leading to stability in happiness levels.
Hedonic Adaptation: Concept of returning to a personal happiness baseline after fluctuations caused by positive or negative events.