Behavioral Sciences Chapter 5: Motivation, Emotion and Stress

Question 1

Motivation

Answer 1

The purpose or driving force behind our actions

Question 2

What are the two types of motivation?

Answer 2

extrinsic = based on external circumstances 
intrinsic = based on internal drive or perception

Question 3

Instincts

Answer 3

innate, fixed patterns of behavior in response to stimuli.

Question 4

What is the instinct theory of motivation?

Answer 4

People perform certain behaviors because of these evolutionarily programmed instincts

Question 5

What is the arousal theory?

Answer 5

people perform actions to maintain arousal, the state of being awake and reactive to stimuli at an optimal level.

Question 6

What is the Yerkes-Dodson law?

Answer 6

Shows that performance is optimal at a medium level of arousal.

Question 7

What are drives?

Answer 7

Drives are internal states of tension that beget particular behaviors focused on goals. Primary drives are related to bodily processes, secondary drive from learning, including accomplishments and emotions.

Question 8

What is drive reduction theory?

Answer 8

Says that motivation arises from the desire to eliminate drives, which create uncomfortable internal states

Question 9

What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?

Answer 9

Prioritizes needs into 5 categories, the lowest being the highest priority — physiological needs, safety and security, love and belonging, self-esteem and self-actualization.

Question 10

What is the incentive theory?

Answer 10

Explains motivation as the desire to pursue rewards and avoid punishments.

Question 11

What is the expectancy-value theory?

Answer 11

Amount of motivation for a task is based on the individual’s expectation of success and the amount that success is valued

Question 12

What is the opponent-process theory?

Answer 12

explains that motivation for drug use – as drug use increases, the body counteracts its effects, leading to tolerance and uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms.

Question 13

What is sexual motivation related to?

Answer 13

hormones and cultural and social factors

Question 14

What is emotion?

Answer 14

A state of mind, feeling that is subjectively experienced based on circumstances, mood and relationships.

Question 15

What are the three components of emotion?

Answer 15

Cognitive (subjective), Behavioral (facial expressions and body language), & physiological (changes in the sympathetic nervous system)

Question 16

What are the seven universal emotions?

Answer 16

happiness, sadness, contempt, surprise, fear, disgust and anger.

Question 17

What are the 3 theories of emotion?

Answer 17

James-Lange = nervous system arousal leads to cognitive response in which emotion is labeled
Cannon-Bard = simultaneous arousal of the nervous system and cognitive response lead to action 
Schacter-Singer = nervous system arousal and interpretaion of context lead to a cognitive response.

Question 18

What is the primary nervous system component involved in emotion?

Answer 18

limbic system

Question 19

How is the amygdala involved in emotion?

Answer 19

attention and fear - helps interrupt facial expressions and is part of the intrinsic memory system for emotional memory.

Question 20

How is the thalamus involved in emotion?

Answer 20

Sensory processing station

Question 21

How is the hypothalamus involved in emotion?

Answer 21

releases neurotransmitters that affect mood and arousal.

Question 22

How is the hippocampus involved in emotion?

Answer 22

Creates long-term explicit memories

Question 23

How is the prefrontal cortex involved in emotion?

Answer 23

planning, expressing personality and making decisions
ventral = experiencing emotion
ventromedial = controlling emotional responses from the amygdala decision-making

Question 24

What is stress?

Answer 24

physiological and cognitive response to challenges or life changes is defined as stress

Question 25

What are the two stages of stress?

Answer 25

Primary appraisal = classifying a potential stressor as irrelevant, benign-positive or stressful
Secondary appraisal = directed at a evaluating if the organism can cope with the stress, based on harm, threat and challenge

Question 26

What are the three stages of general adaptation syndrome?

Answer 26

Alarm, resistance and exhaustion