Chapter 11 - What Drives Us Flashcards
What is motivation?
The need or desire that energizes and directs behaviour.
What’re two types of motivation?
Intrinsic Motivation: the motivation to do basic tasks that are enjoyable or satisfying.
(e.g. rock climbing, or travelling)
Extrinsic Motivation: motivation for rewards, consequences, and expectations.
(e.g. going to school to obtain a high-paying job or because your parents TOLD you to.)
What is an instinct? Give examples.
A complex unlearned behaviour that is hardwired throughout a species. (e.g. the salmon and their salmon runs; turtles and their nesting spots; bears hibernating during winter.)
What is the drive reduction theory? Give an example.
A physiological need that creates a drive that motivates an organism to satisfy that need. (e.g. a need for water that leads to thirst, and satisfying that need reduces that drive.)
What is homeostasis? Give examples.
Homeostasis is the tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state. (e.g. maintaining blood pressure, body temperature, etc.)
What are incentives? Give examples of positive and negative incentives.
Incentives are positive and negative stimuli that form our behaviours. (e.g. a positive example would be having a coffee or a smoke - things you want. A negative incentive would be a speeding ticket - something you don’t want.)
What are arousals?
Arousals are what maintain our needs. There are two examples: High-level arousal could be skydiving or bungee jumping or socializing and physical activities. Low-level arousals could be activities that are relaxing, like reading a book or taking a nap - often correlated with curiosity.
What is the Yerkes-Dodson law? Give an example of how it works.
The law that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases. (e.g. having an optimal stress level for a test may improve your performance; however, if too much anxiety may affect your ability to do better.)
What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
Physiological, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization. In order for these needs to move on to the next, physiological needs to be met.
Today’s evolutionary psychology shares an idea that was an underlying assumption of instinct theory. This idea is that:
A - Physiological needs arouse psychological traits.
B - Genes predispose species-typical behaviour
C - physiological needs increase arousal
D - external needs energize and direct behaviour.
A - physiological needs arouse psychological traits.
A physiological need is _____. An example of a psychological need is _____.
Hunger; a push to find food.
With a challenging task, such as taking a test, performance is likely to peak when arousal is _____.
optimal levels
What is the set point? And how does it relate to hunger?
Humans have a set point for our weight thermostat. If our body falls below its weight, increased hunger will try and restore this lost weight.
What is the basal metabolic rate?
The body’s resting rate of energy output.
What is glucose, and what does it trigger when it’s low?
Glucose is a form of sugar in the bloodstream that circulates energy to parts of the body. Low glucose will trigger hunger.
