AP Psychology: 7.03 Hunger Motives
Hunger: A Closer Look Physiology of Hunger
-Hunger involves both physiology and psychology at the same time making it a good motivated behavior to research and study because people eat not only to survive but also to socialize, relieve boredom, and feel comforted.
-People sometimes refuse to eat to make political statements, to lose weight, or to exert control
Physiology of Hunger
-The branch of biology that deals with the normal functions of living organisms and their parts.
-the way in which a living organism or bodily part functions.
-BIOLOGICALLY Based
Glucose: Form of sugar which circulates through the body. One feels hungry when the levels become low
Hyperglycemia (Diabetes): Occurs when blood sugar levels run too high. Caused by cells in pancreas that do not metabolize carbs
Hypoglycemia: Occurs when blood sugar levels run too low through lack of food. You feel dizzy and weak
The Physiology of Hunger: Body Chemistry and the Brain
Appetite hormones
-Ghrelin: “I’m Hungry!” hormone
-Obestatin: “I’m Full” hormone
Insulin and Glucagon- negative feedback loop to maintain homeostasis
-Insulin: Hormone which allows the body to use glucose for energy or fat production – lowering levels of glucose. As insulin levels increase, glucose levels decrease.
-Glucagon: Hormone secreted by the pancreas that increases the blood glucose levels
Hunger and the Brain
Biological Basis of Hunger
-Hunger does NOT come from our stomach. It comes from our… BRAIN. Specifically the Hypothalamus
Lateral Hypothalamus: Stimulates hunger. When food-deprived, blood sugar levels wane and the lateral hypothalamus churns out the hunger-triggering hormone, orexin.
-if electrically stimulated here, well-fed animals begin to eat. If destroyed, even starving animals have no interest in food.
Ventromedial Hypothalamus: depresses hunger
-Stimulate this area and an animal will stop eating; destroy it and the animal’s stomach and intestines will process food more rapidly, causing it to become extremely fat.
Hunger Motivation
The multiple-systems approach to hunger and weight
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): The body’s resting rate at which we burn calories for energy
Set Point: The point at which an individual’s “weight thermostat” is supposedly set, Determined by # of fat cells. When the body falls below this weight, increased hunger and a lower BMR may act to restore the lost weight.
Eating Disorder
Anorexia: An eating disorder in which normal weight people have a distorted self-perception of being “fat”
Usually in adolescence females
Anorexics put themselves on self-starvation regimes
May become dangerously underweight (15% of more below normal)
Bulimia: An eating disorder characterized by episodes of overeating
Usually overeat high calorie foods
Overeating is followed by vomiting, using laxatives, fasting, or excessive exercise
Challenges faced by those trying to lose weight
Once the number of fat cells increases, it never decreases
Once we become fat, we require less food to maintain our weight than we did to attain it
The body adapts to starvation by lowering its metabolism and burning off fewer calories
Genetics: given an obese parent, a boy is 3 times, and a girl 6 times, more likely to be obese than their counterparts with normal-weight parents
Social Motives & Motives in Conflict
Affiliation Motive- The need to be with others
Isolation causes anxiety.
Motive aroused when feel threatened, anxious, or celebratory.
Combines biological and social factors for survival and reproduction
Conflicts:
Approach-approach conflict: A conflict in which one must choose between two equally attractive options
Approach-avoidance conflict: A conflict in which there are both appealing and negative aspects to the decision to be made
Avoidance-avoidance conflict: A conflict in which one must choose between two equally unattractive options
Multiple approach-avoidance conflict: A conflict in which one must choose between options that have both many attractive and many negative aspects
AP Psychology: 7.03 Hunger Motives
Hunger: A Closer Look Physiology of Hunger
-Hunger involves both physiology and psychology at the same time making it a good motivated behavior to research and study because people eat not only to survive but also to socialize, relieve boredom, and feel comforted.
-People sometimes refuse to eat to make political statements, to lose weight, or to exert control
Physiology of Hunger
-The branch of biology that deals with the normal functions of living organisms and their parts.
-the way in which a living organism or bodily part functions.
-BIOLOGICALLY Based
Glucose: Form of sugar which circulates through the body. One feels hungry when the levels become low
Hyperglycemia (Diabetes): Occurs when blood sugar levels run too high. Caused by cells in pancreas that do not metabolize carbs
Hypoglycemia: Occurs when blood sugar levels run too low through lack of food. You feel dizzy and weak
The Physiology of Hunger: Body Chemistry and the Brain
Appetite hormones
-Ghrelin: “I’m Hungry!” hormone
-Obestatin: “I’m Full” hormone
Insulin and Glucagon- negative feedback loop to maintain homeostasis
-Insulin: Hormone which allows the body to use glucose for energy or fat production – lowering levels of glucose. As insulin levels increase, glucose levels decrease.
-Glucagon: Hormone secreted by the pancreas that increases the blood glucose levels
Hunger and the Brain
Biological Basis of Hunger
-Hunger does NOT come from our stomach. It comes from our… BRAIN. Specifically the Hypothalamus
Lateral Hypothalamus: Stimulates hunger. When food-deprived, blood sugar levels wane and the lateral hypothalamus churns out the hunger-triggering hormone, orexin.
-if electrically stimulated here, well-fed animals begin to eat. If destroyed, even starving animals have no interest in food.
Ventromedial Hypothalamus: depresses hunger
-Stimulate this area and an animal will stop eating; destroy it and the animal’s stomach and intestines will process food more rapidly, causing it to become extremely fat.
Hunger Motivation
The multiple-systems approach to hunger and weight
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): The body’s resting rate at which we burn calories for energy
Set Point: The point at which an individual’s “weight thermostat” is supposedly set, Determined by # of fat cells. When the body falls below this weight, increased hunger and a lower BMR may act to restore the lost weight.
Eating Disorder
Anorexia: An eating disorder in which normal weight people have a distorted self-perception of being “fat”
Usually in adolescence females
Anorexics put themselves on self-starvation regimes
May become dangerously underweight (15% of more below normal)
Bulimia: An eating disorder characterized by episodes of overeating
Usually overeat high calorie foods
Overeating is followed by vomiting, using laxatives, fasting, or excessive exercise
Challenges faced by those trying to lose weight
Once the number of fat cells increases, it never decreases
Once we become fat, we require less food to maintain our weight than we did to attain it
The body adapts to starvation by lowering its metabolism and burning off fewer calories
Genetics: given an obese parent, a boy is 3 times, and a girl 6 times, more likely to be obese than their counterparts with normal-weight parents
Social Motives & Motives in Conflict
Affiliation Motive- The need to be with others
Isolation causes anxiety.
Motive aroused when feel threatened, anxious, or celebratory.
Combines biological and social factors for survival and reproduction
Conflicts:
Approach-approach conflict: A conflict in which one must choose between two equally attractive options
Approach-avoidance conflict: A conflict in which there are both appealing and negative aspects to the decision to be made
Avoidance-avoidance conflict: A conflict in which one must choose between two equally unattractive options
Multiple approach-avoidance conflict: A conflict in which one must choose between options that have both many attractive and many negative aspects
