Chap 10: Motivation (1) Flashcards
Define motivation.
Motivation involves goal-directed behavior.
What is drive theory?
A drive is an internal state of tension that motivates an organism to engage in activities that should reduce this tension.
Define homeostasis.
Homeostasis is a state of physiological equilibrium or stability
What does the incentive theory propose?
Incentive theories propose that external stimuli regulate motivational state.
An incentive is an external goal that has the capacity to motivate behavior.
How are drive and incentive theories contrasted as push-verses-pull theories?
Drive theories emphasize how internal states of tension push people in certain directions.
Incentive theories emphasize how external stimuli pull people in certain directions.
Explain the evolutionary theory of motivation.
Psychologists who take an evolutionary perspective assert that human motives and those of other species are the products of evolution, just as anatomical
characteristics are.
What are the structures of the brain believed to be responsible for controlling hunger?
The lateral hypothalamus (LH) and the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) were the brain’s on-off switches for the control of hunger.
- Today, scientists believe that two other areas of the hypothalamus—the arcuate nucleus and the paraventricular nucleus—plays a larger role in the modulation of
hunger.
What do the vagus nerve indicate?
The vagus nerve carries information about the stretching of the stomach walls that indicate when the stomach is full.
What happens when you go without food for a while?
After the body goes without food for a while, the stomach secretes ghrelin, which causes stomach contractions and promotes hunger.
What is released after food is consumed?
After food is consumed, the upper intestine releases a hormone called CCK that delivers satiety signals to the brain, thus reducing hunger.
What are the functions of leptin?
- long-term regulation of hunger
- Leptin circulates through the bloodstream and ultimately provides the hypothalamus with information about the body’s fat
stores
What happens when leptin levels are high and low?
When leptin levels are high, the propensity to feel hungry diminishes.
When leptin levels are low, signals arriving in the brain promote increased hunger.
What are the 3 environmental factors in regulating hunger?
Three key environmental factors are:-
(1) the availability of food,
(2) learned preferences and habits
(3) stress.
What are the variables that exert significant influence over food consumption?
- Palatability. The better food tastes, the more of it people consume.
- Quantity available. People tend to consume what’s put in front of them.
- Variety. Humans and animals increase their consumption when a greater variety of foods is available.
- Presence of others. individuals eat 44 percent more when they eat with other people as opposed to eating alone.
- Stress. Stress has varied effects on eating, as some individuals eat less, but people do increase their food consumption in times of stress.
What is the plausible explanation for obesity?
Throughout history, most humans lived in environments characterized by fierce competition for limited, unreliable food resources.
Thus, they evolved a propensity to consume more food than immediately necessary when the opportunity presented itself because food might not be available later
