AP Psychology Unit 8: Motivation, Emotion, and Stress Flashcards
Motivation
A need or desire that energizes and directs behavior
Instinct
A complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and unlearned
Instinct Theory
Now replaced by the evolutionary perspective. It focuses on genetically predisposed behaviors and labels them as motivations for our actions. It named behaviors but did not explain them
Physiological Needs
A basic bodily requirement (food, water, oxygen)
Drive-Reduction Theory
The idea that a physiological need creates an aroused state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy its needs
Homeostasis
A tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of ay aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level
Incentive
A positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior
Arousal Theory
Our need to maintain an optimal level of arousal motivates behaviors that meet no physiological need (such as our yearning for stimulation and our hunger for information)
Yerkes-Dodson Law
The principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases
Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow’s pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied before higher-level safety needs and them psychological needs become active
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in Order
- Physiological needs
- Safety needs
- Belongingness and love needs
- Esteem needs
- Self-actualization needs
- Self-transcendence needs
Physiological Needs
The first level of Maslow’s hierarchy. The need to satisfy hunger and thirst
Safety Needs
The second level of Maslow’s hierarchy. The need to feel that the world is organized and predictable; need to feel safe
Belongingness and Love Needs
The third level of Maslow’s hierarchy. The need to love and be loved, to belong and be accepted; need to avoid loneliness and separation
Esteem Needs
The fourth level of Maslow’s hierarchy. Need for self-esteem, achievement, competence, and independence; need for recognition and respect from others
Self-Actualization Needs
The fifth level of Maslow’s hierarchy. The need to live up to our fullest and unique potential
Self-Transcendence Needs
The last/sixth level of Maslow’s hierarchy. The need to find meaning and identity beyond the self
What Causes Hunger
- Stomach pangs/contractions
- The brain/hypothalamic activity
- Appetite hormones (leptin, ghrelin, orexin)
- Blood sugar/glucose levels
Glucose
The form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major source of energy for body tissues. When its level is low, we feel hunger.
Ghrelin
A hunger-arousing hormone secreted by an empty stomach
Set Point
The point at which your “weight thermostat” may be set. When your body falls below this weight increased hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may combine to restore lost weight
Basal Metabolic Rate
The body’s resting rate of energy output
Neophobia
Dislike of unfamiliar things. For example, many Americans dislike Japanese food like nattó
Situational Influences on Eating
- Arousing situations cause people to eat more
- People eat more when eating with others
- People eat more when offered a large serving size
- People eat more when there is a wider selection of food
- People eat more of the foods they are offered first
Obesity
Defined as a body mass index (BMI) measurement of 30 or higher
Overweight
Defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher
Leptin
A hormone that decreases hunger. Secreted from the fat cells
Asexual
Having no sexual attraction to others
Testosterone
The most important male sex hormone. Both males and females have it, but the additional testosterone in males stimulates the growth of the male sex organs during the fetal period and the development of male sex characteristics during puberty
Estrogens
Sex hormones, such as estradiol, that contribute to female sex characteristics and are secreted in greater amounts by females than by males. Estrogen levels peak during ovulation. In nonhuman animals, this promotes sexual receptivity.
Sexual Response Cycle
The four stages of sexual responding described by Masters and Johnson - excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution
Refractory Period
In human sexuality, a resting period that occurs after orgasm, during which a person cannot achieve another orgasm. The refractory period in men is longer than that in women
Affiliation Need
The need to build relationships and to feel part of a group
Ostracism
Deliberate social exclusion of individuals or groups
Narcissism
Excessive self-love and self-absorption
Achievement Motivation
A desire for significant accomplishment, for mastery of skills or ideas, for control, and for attaining a high standard
Grit
In psychology, passion and perseverance in pursuit of long-term goals
Emotion
A response of the whole organism, involving physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience
James-Lange Theory
The theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to an emotion-arousing stimulus: stimulus –> arousal –> emotion
Cannon-Bard Theory
The theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers physiological arousal and the subjective experience of emotion. The emotion-triggering stimulus travels to the sympathetic nervous system (causing the physiological response) and the brain’s cortex (causing the awareness of emotion) at the same time
Schachter-Singer Theory
Also known as the two-factor theory. It states that, to experience emotion, one must be physically aroused and cognitively label the arousal. A stirred-up state can be experiences as different emotions depending on how we appraise/label it
Zajonc-LeDoux Theory
Some embodied responses happen instantly, without conscious appraisal. Sometimes stimuli travel directly to the amygdala via the thalamus, so we react before appraising a situation.
Lazarus Theory
Cognitive appraisal (“is it dangerous or not?”) - sometimes without our awareness - defines emotion. A thought must come before any emotion or physiological arousal. Emotion comes when we appraise an event as harmless or dangerous
Insula
A neural center deep inside the brain. It is activated when we experience negative social emotions like lust, pride, and disgust. It is not responsive to only one emotion
Left Frontal Lobe and Mood
Positive moods trigger left frontal lobe activity
Right Frontal Lobe and Mood
Negative moods trigger right frontal lobe activity
Polygraph
A machine used in attempts to detect lies that measures several of the physiological responses (such as perspiration, heart rate, and breathing changes) accompanying emotion. They are often innaccurate
Facial Feedback Effect
The tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings such as fear, anger, or happiness
Behavior Feedback Effect
The tendency of behavior to influence our own and others’ thoughts, feelings, and actions. If you happily skip down the street, you will likely feel happier
Stress
The process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging
Stressor
A stimulus that we perceive as threatening that causes a stress response
Stress Reaction
Our physical and emotional responses to a stressor
Types of Stressors
- Catastrophes
- Significant life changes
- Daily hassles
Catastrophes
Unpredictable large-scale events (earthquakes, floods, storms)
Acculturative Stress
The stress that emerges from conflicts when individuals must adjust to a new culture of the host society
Significant Life Changes
Life-altering events (having a loved one die, a friend move away, a divorce)
Daily Hassles
Small-scale and non-life-altering events (phone dying, annoying siblings, busy schedule)
Stress Response System Components
- The sympathetic nervous system (mobilize the body for the fast-acting fight or flight response)
- The hypothalamus and pituitary gland (secrete slow-acting glucocorticoid stress hormones like cortisol)
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
Selye’s concept of the body’s adaptive response to stress in three phases: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. The human body cannot cope with stress for prolonged periods of time.
Tend-And-Befriend Response
Under stress, people (especially women) often provide support to others (tend) and bond with and seek support from others (befriend)
Health Psychology
A subfield of psychology that provides psychology’s contribution to behavioral medicine
Psychoneuroimmunology
The study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together affect the immune system and resulting health
B Lymphocytes
Immune system cells that releases antibodies that fight antibacterial infections. Stress reduces the release of these
T Lymphocytes
Immune system cells that attack cancer cells, viruses, and foreign substances. Stress reduces the release of these
Macrophage Cells
“Big eaters” that identify, pursue, and ingest harmful invaders and worn-out cells
Natural Killer Cells
Attack diseased cells (such as those infected by viruses or cancer)
Coronary Heart Disease
The clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle; the leading cause of death in many developed countries. The risk of developing it is increased with stress
Type A
Friedman and Rosenman’s term for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people. They are more susceptible to heart attacks or other stress-related issues since they are more often angry. When angry, blood goes to our muscles and pulls it away from our internal organs, which prevents the liver from effectively removing cholesterol and fat from the blood.
Type B
Fridman and Rosenman’s term for easygoing, relaxed people. They are less likely to have heart attacks or develop other stress-related issues
Catharsis
In psychology, the idea that “releasing” aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggressive urges. However, it usually fails to cleanse our rage, since expressing anger leads to more anger
Aerobic Exercise
Sustained exercise that increases heart and lung fitness; also helps alleviate depression and anxiety. It fights heart disease by strengthening the heart, increasing blood flow, keeping blood vessels open, and lowering blood pressure. It also promotes neurogenesis and greater longevity
Mindfulness Meditation
A reflective practice in which people attend to current experiences in a nonjudgmental and accepting manner. It strengthens connections among brain regions, activates brain regions associated with more reflective awareness, and calms brain activation in emotional situations
Feel-Good, Do-Good Phenomenon
People’s tendency to be helpful when in a good mood
Positive Psychology
The scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive
Subjective Well-Being
Self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life. Used along with measures of objective well-being (for example, physical and economic indicators) to evaluate people’s quality of life
3 Pillars of Positive Psychology
- Positive well-being
- Positive character
- Positive groups, communities, and culture
Positive Well-Being
Happiness is a by-product of a pleasant, engaged, and meaningful life
Positive Character
Focuses on exploring and enhancing creativity, courage, compassion, integrity, self-control, leadership, wisdom, and spirituality
Positive Groups, Communities, And Cultures
Focuses on establishing a positive social ecology. This includes healthy families, communal neighborhoods, effective schools, socially-responsible media, and civil dialogue
Adaptation-Level Phenomenon
Our tendency to form judgments (of sounds, of lights, of income) relative to a neutral level defined by prior experience
Relative Deprivation
The perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself
