Chapter 11

Question 1

What is motivation?

Answer 1

process that influences the direction, persistence and vigor of goal-directed behavior (wants/needs)

food and sex are most powerful motivations

at least 3 ways used to try and explain motivation

Question 2

What is motivation through instinct?

Answer 2

inherited predisposition to behave in predictable ways

genetic bias: survival advantage with traits passed through genes

little evidence to support it

why greedy? because greed is an instinct (circular logic)

Question 3

What is motivation through homeostasis/drive?

Answer 3

drive theory

disruptions of homeostasis lead to drives

regulate hunger, thirst, weight, body temperature, sleep

ultimate goal of behavior is to reduce drive

theory is less influential than before

people watch scary movies and fast (opposite to reducing drive)

Question 4

What is motivation through incentives/expectancy?

Answer 4

we are motivated by positive (external and internal) goals

intrinsic motivation: master knowledge, doing for fun
extrinsic motivation: get good grades, doing for $

cognitive perspective: motivation equals expectancy and incentive value, expectation to receive reward, value places in reward

Question 5

What is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?

Answer 5

primary: biological, deficiency needs
secondary: psychological, growth needs, achieved after primary needs are met
critiques: why endure torture, why starve oneself, etc.? what does “self-actualization” mean?

Question 6

What is Self-Determination Theory?

Answer 6

most fulfilled if three needs are met

1. Competence: need to master and perfect skills, exploratory and growth
2. Autonomy: realize freedom of choice without outside interference
3. Relatedness: form meaningful bonds with others, free to be yourself

Question 7

What is feeding?

Answer 7

necessary: provide body with energy for basal metabolism, hunger is not directly linked to immediate energy needs

but also pleasurable, often continue eating despite energy needs being met

Question 8

What is the physiology of hunger?

Answer 8

metabolism: body’s rate of energy utilization

basal metabolism: 2/3 of the energy

body monitors both short and long term signals

set point: internal physiological standard in which body fat is regulated

Question 9

How is hunger and eating regulated?

Answer 9

stomach contractions: still hungry with stomach removal or loss of nerves

glucostatic theory: low blood glucose = hunger, blood glucose variable, doesn’t always mirror feeding

hormones (peptides): glucose, ghrelin, and neuropeptide Y increase hunger, CCK and leptin decrease hunger

Question 10

What are brain mechanisms?

Answer 10

various structures within the hypothalamus play a role in regulating: hunger, thirst, sexual arousal, body temperature

lateral hypothalamus (LH): may be involved in stimulating eating

ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH): may influence stopping eating

paraventricular nucleus (PVN): various neurotransmitters, integrate short term and long term signals

Question 11

What are the psychological aspects of hunger?

Answer 11

eating is positively reinforced by good tastes and negatively forced by hunger reduction

expectations that eating will be pleasurable and will reduce hunger stimulate eating

beliefs, memories, and attitudes about food can also affect eating

Question 12

What are the differences in perceptions of size between men and women?

Answer 12

women especially engage in food restriction: conform to social norms and restore self-esteem

women overestimate how thin they think they should be, and mean overestimate how bulky they think they should be

objectification theory: body is object, increase anxiety and body shame

Question 13

What is obesity?

Answer 13

BMI above 30

prevalent in Western culture (>50% overweight/obese)

abundance of high-energy food, culture of getting most for the $, technological advances

genetics of obesity: more than 200 genes contribute to obesity

dieting/weight loss: no evidence that metabolic slow-down becomes more pronounced with subsequent weight-loss attempts

Question 14

What are the motivations behind sex?

Answer 14

not just because it feels good or to have babies

power, self-esteem, peer pressure, “duty”, revenge, money

environmental influence: presence of arousing stimuli (erotica, lover’s touch)

Question 15

What are patterns in sexual behavior?

Answer 15

typically measured via surveys, which ask about sexual intercourse

biased

Question 16

What is the sexual response cycle?

Answer 16

4 stage cycle:
excitement phase
plateau phase
orgasm phase
resolution phase

Question 17

What is achievement motivation?

Answer 17

strive to succeed?

motive for success: positive orientation, thrill of victory, mastering skills, outperforming others

fear of failure: negative orientation, measured via questions rating anxiety

Question 18

What is achievement growth theory?

Answer 18

focuses on manner in which success is defined by individual and achievement situation

mastery orientation: personal improvement
performance orientation: outperform others

Question 19

What are high-need achievers?

Answer 19

ambitious

persist longer at difficult tasks

perform best when conditions are challenging

Question 20

How do parental attitudes affect motivation?

Answer 20

high need for achievement
parents: encourage and reward achievement, do not punish failure

fear of failure
parents: achievement taken for granted, failure is punished

Question 21

What are the different types of motivational conflicts?

Answer 21

approach-approach conflict: two attractive alternatives

avoidance-avoidance conflict: two undesirable alternatives

approach-avoidance conflict: attracted to and repelled by the same goal

delay discounting: decrease in value of a future incentive

Question 22

What occurs in a life without emotion?

Answer 22

damage to frontal lobe

devoid of emotion

only make decisions based off of reason

suggested that emotions are crucial to survival

Question 23

How are emotions and motivation comparable?

Answer 23

strong link between motivation and emotion

motives: internal stimuli that energize/direct behavior towards goals
emotions: reactions/responses to events that relate to important goals

Question 24

What is the adaptive value of emotions?

Answer 24

signal something important is happening, direct one’s attention

positive emotions help form lasting social relationships, broadens thinking and behavior, explore new ideas

important form of social communication, observable information about internal states

Question 25

What are the common features for all emotions?

Answer 25

emotions are responses to eliciting stimuli

emotions result from cognitive appraisal of the stimuli

emotions result from cognitive appraisal of the stimuli

bodies respond physiologically to stimuli

emotions include behavioral tendencies, including expressive behavior and instrumental behvaiour

Question 26

How does eliciting stimuli affect emotion?

Answer 26

can be internal or external

influence can be innate biological factors

newborn infants can respond emotionally

adults primed to respond to evolutionarily significant stimuli

learning: previous experiences can affect current emotional experiences

Question 27

What is the cognitive component of emotions?

Answer 27

cognitive appraisals: involved in every aspect of emotion, interpretations and meanings attached to sensory stimuli

different appraisals can result in different behaviors: influences expressions and actions, different reactions to the same event

appraisals: involve both conscious and unconscious processes, emotional reactions triggered by cognitive appraisals

culture and appraisal: cultural similarities in appraisals for basic emotions, cultural differences in appraisals for other emotions

Question 28

What is the physiological component of emotion?

Answer 28

interactions between cortical and subcortical strcutures

hypothalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus: destruction or stimulation can produce aggression

cerebral cortex: ability to regulate emotion

Question 29

What is the dual pathway of emotion?

Answer 29

thalamus sends sensory input along two independent neural pathways

one directly to amygdala: emotional and behavioral reaction

one to cerebral cortex: conscious interpretation, left hemisphere positive emotion, right hemisphere negative emotions

Question 30

What is the behavioral component of emotion?

Answer 30

expressive behaviors: observable emotional displays

infer emotions of others: anger, fear, sadness, etc., can evoke empathy

fundamental emotional patterns: expression of certain emotions: similar across variety of cultures

culture: different display rules

evolutionary view: certain emotions are innate, can be modified by learning

Question 31

What does the study of facial expressions tell us?

Answer 31

judging emotion done best in context of situation

general agreement across culture

women generally more accurate

Question 32

What are the four theories of emotion?

Answer 32

James-Lange Somatic Theory

Cannon-Bard Theory

Two-Factor Theory of Emotion

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

Question 33

What is the James-Lange Somatic Theory?

Answer 33

observe physiology and behavior to infer emotional state

Question 34

What is the Cannon-Bard Theory?

Answer 34

emotion and physiology occur simultaneously

physiological changes slow (seconds), often not aware of reactions

emotional reactions occur instantaneously

Question 35

What is the Two-Factor Theory of Emotion?

Answer 35

Schachter-Singer theory of emotion

cognition + arousal: specific stimulus not important, appraisal is

event causes arousal: use emotion to explain arousal

Question 36

What is the Facial Feedback Hypothesis?

Answer 36

activating certain facial muscles will affect how you feel (emotion)

hold pen in teeth: activate “smile” muscles
hold pen in lips: activate “frown” muscles

study doesn’t hold up through replication