chap. 1 Flashcards
One of the most important features of the human brain is the ability to…
Anticipate the future.
A ___ is a cognitive representation of a future outcome that the individual is…
Goal
Kara said something rude to Jennifer at lunch. Jennifer keeps wondering what motivated her to say it. In this example, Jennifer is pondering the ___ property of Kara’s motivation.
Initiation.
People who are ___ in ___-___ are more likely to struggle with aggression, criminality, academic failures , and personal relationship failures.
Low in Self-control
True or false: Language makes humans different from other animals.
False: Chimpanzees can communicate using sign language.
True or false: Self-awareness makes humans different from other animals.
False: Chimpanzees can recognize themselves in the mirror.
What makes humans different from other animals?
The ability to imagine and prepare for the future is unique to humans. Animals are only able to anticipate what is going to happen in the immediate future.
True or false: We are not born with the ability to project our mind into the future.
True: The prefrontal cortex allows us to do this planning, but it doesn’t fully develop until our mid-20s.
At what age does the prefrontal cortex develop?
Mid-20s.
Why is it that teens tend to take more risky decisions?
Because the prefrontal cortex has not developed yet.
What procedure enabled us to discover an important function of the prefrontal lobe: Planning and sticking to goals?
The lobotomy.
Define motivation.
It is the underlying processes that provides energy and direction for behaviour.
What are the 2 elements of motivation?
Energy and direction.
The energy aspect of motivation suggests that behaviour can vary in terms of what 3 elements?
Initiation; intensity; & persistence.
Give a definition and example of the 3 elements of energy.
Initiation: Refers to starting a behaviour
- p.ex: if i begin to run in my weekly routine, we may ask “what motivated her to start running?”
Intensity: Refers to the quality of being felt strongly or having a strong effect
- p.ex: am i very adamant to run a 10k or am i just planning to take a little jog here and there?
Persistence: Refers to how long something continues
- p.ex: i can run for a month or for a year
Give a definition to direction.
Direction suggests that behaviour has purpose and is aimed at achieving a particular goal. You may be motivated to approach a particularly desirable outcome or to avoid an undesirable outcome.
Give an example of direction.
p.ex: you are motivated to drink because you are thirsty, you thus seek out water vs. seeking out alcohol to drown sorrows
p.ex: one person may be motivated to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables to lose weight, while another avoids eating fast food.
What 2 aspects did we used to believe were important for success in life?
Intelligence and self-esteem.
Self-esteem: believed that people would get involved in bad behaviours (crime, gangs, etc.) because they don’t love themselves enough. This created an all-time high in narcissism following this thought.
What aspect of motivation should we be emphasizing?
Self-control or willpower.
Define self-control.
Refers to our ability to regulate and change our own thoughts, emotions, and behaviour. It is what allows us to become the person we want to be, not just the person we currently are.
True or false: If we didn’t have self-control, we would always succumb to our temptations.
True.
True or false: People low in self-control are better able to stick to their goals and not get steered off course by temptations.
False: People HIGH in self-control have that ability.
True or false: People with high self-control have higher success in every aspect of life.
True.
True or false: Many social problems seem to be linked to poor self-control.
True.
