Chapter 10 - Motivation

Question 1

Define motivation (2)

Answer 1

the study of the factors that energize and simulate behavior
the driving force that lead us to pursue some things and avoid others, or to prioritize pursuing some goals and not others

Question 2

What are the 4 essential components to motivational states?

Answer 2

1. Energizing: the state needs to cause us to do something/expend energy
2. Directive: a motivation has to be able guide behavior towards satisfying specific goals
3. Persistence: a motivational state will persist until the goal is achieved
4. Strength: the driving force of behavior; certain motivations get done over others because there is more strength behind

Question 3

Is there an absolute distinction between biological and social motives?

Answer 3

No, motive can be both

Question 4

What does eating have a lot to do with?

Answer 4

Learning (we learn to eat at certain times of the day and certain foods for those times)

Question 5

What determines what (and when) we eat? (3)

Answer 5

Habits
Culture
Brain (hypothalamus: regulates eating responses)

Question 6

What are the 3 hormones involved in eating? How do they all interact?

Answer 6

Insulin released when blood glucose levels rise (when eating sugar or carbs)
Leptin monitors fat deposits in the body, indicates to the brain that you should stop or start eating (reserves are full or low)
Ghrelin is a circulation hormone produced by cells; called the hunger hormone as it increases food intake (levels are highest just before meals when you’re hungry)
Don’t know how they all interact

Question 7

Explain the relations between food and reward (3)

Answer 7

Good food that we like acts as a reward
In people who rely or indulge in food as a reward, there are difference in how they process rewards
Food that is sweet or salty is controlled by the limbic system (the main brain region involved in reward), the pre-frontal cortex specifically

Question 8

What is obesity? (4)

Answer 8

The condition of being overweight
Body Mass Index exceeds 30
Canadian obesity rates hover around 20-21% and 40% overweight
Rates are increasing among adults and children

Question 9

Why are obesity rates so high? (4)

Answer 9

Our environment today is much different than the environment long ago when food wasn’t as readily available
Our ancestors ate as much as they could because they didn’t know when they’d get their next meal
Today we still have that biological drive despite the fact that we have food (and food that is much worse for us than food was back then) almost always available to us
Also sitting much more than we used to and not nearly as active

Question 10

What is unit bias? (3)

Answer 10

Tendency to assume that if someone puts a plate in front of you, that is the unit that you have to consume
Bigger proportions and plate sizes cause people to eat more as they eat their whole plate even if full
Shows connection between eating and cognition

Question 11

What are three things that demonstrate connection between eating and the social context?

Answer 11

Social Facilitation: eating more because others encourage us to as a social welcome
Impression Management: eating less because we want to be seen in a positive light
Modelling: eating whatever they eat

Question 12

Why is sex important? (3)

Answer 12

Tops the list of favorite human activities despite not being necessary to live
Important in many areas of daily life (marriage, family, aggression, competition, art, music, most creative pursuits)
Most animals have sex for reproduction (instead of cloning)

Question 13

How does hormonal regulation determine desire? (4)

Answer 13

Hormones exert a lot of influence over sexual behavior
- Estrogens: female sex hormone
- Androgens: male sex hormone
Both present in both men and women but with more of one or the other as the principle hormone secreted by sexual organs
Sexual desire tends to fluctuate with level of testosterone

Question 14

How do humans and animals differ in sexual motivation? (2)

Answer 14

Females in animal kingdom are most receptive to sexual activity during ovulation and you can see the higher level of secretion then
Unlike humans who feel sexual desire at any time

Question 15

What are pheromones? (3) What are aphrodisiacs? (2)

Answer 15

The chemicals secreted by animals that are hypothesized to change behavior
Detected by a sense of smell
Research in humans is inconclusive (Axe)
A: Substances thought to increase sexual desire; little empirical support

Question 16

What are some physiological and psychological mechanisms that can be explained by parental investment theory? (5)

Answer 16

Men are about 15% larger than women (they had to compete with others)
Women as choosier than men (had to select the right partner)
Men are more aggressive than women (testosterone and aggression in competition)
Men value youth and beauty as it allows for more reproductive years
Women value resources and status (allows them to care for offspring)

Question 17

What is sexual orientation and how is it a continuum?

Answer 17

A person’s preference for emotional and sexual relations

Not a binary with people being completely one way or completely the other (Heterosexual-Bisexual-Homosexual)

Question 18

What is asexuality? (5)

Answer 18

1% of the population
People who have no interest in sexual relations/do not feel sexual attraction to others (not an issue, just who they are)
The issue resides the in the question: what is considered normal sexual desire?
Not clear whether asexuality in lifelong or acquired
More prevalent in females than males

Question 19

What is achievement motivation?

Answer 19

The drive to perform at high levels
Humans are very directed and motivated to achieve excellence
The need to excel

Question 20

Why do people want to achieve? (3)

Answer 20

Might be for validation, respect, attention or enjoyment Could be attempting to achieve an approach goal (an enjoyable and pleasant incentive that a person is working towards)
Many people also work towards something so they don’t suffer negative consequences aka an avoidance goal (working hard in a sport so you don’t get cut from the team)

Question 21

What kind of people are those with the achievement motivation? (4)

Answer 21

These people work harder and more persistently, and delay gratification (forgo present reward for the promise of a much bigger future reward)
Tend to pursue competitive careers
Focused, organized
Do not pursue impossible tasks or extremely difficult tasks but tasks where they will receive feedback and have a moderately high difficulty

Question 22

What are the situational influences in achievement motives that work in a formula? (3)

Answer 22

Strength of motivation (how much you want to do it)
Probability of success (likelihood of you achieving this goal)
Incentive value of success (how good is what you get if you achieve the goal)

Question 23

How is the motivational achievement measured? (2)

Answer 23

Measured with self-report questionnaires (a scale that is distributed to people and ask about habits and motives)
Also with a projective test, or a Thematic Apperception Test (present a vague situation, usually in picture form, and ask what is happening; people tend to project their own achievement motive onto the story)