Chapter 13: Conflict among Motives

Question 1

Approach – Approach

Answer 1

Forces to choose from two equally desirable goals
Goals are mutually exclusive
Hesitation –oscillate b/w the 2 before choosing

Rats: Y/T maze, chose b/w going left and right to the 2 different positive stimuli

Question 2

Approach – Avoidance

Answer 2

Both attracts and repels
Reward associated with an aversive stimulus
The closer the animal gets, the greater the tendency to avoid

EX: asking out a date
Rats: undergo some negative stimulus (loud speaker, lights) to gain food reward

Question 3

Avoidance – Avoidance

Answer 3

Forced to choose from two equally aversive or unappealing choices
This type of conflict encourages “freezing”
Can result in anxiety and sense of helplessness

Question 4

Cognitive Dissonance

Answer 4

discrepancy b/w beliefs and actions, but we feel they ought to align 
Resolving Cognitive Dissonance: 
1) Change behaviour
2) Change belief
3) Add new cognitive element (rare)

Question 5

When are we more likely to take risks?

Answer 5

p (value of potential benefit) > p (value of potential cost)
The greater the benefit relative to the risk, the more likely the behaviour will be engaged
Individuals who take risks tend to do so over many domains

Question 6

Risk-Sensitivity Theory

Answer 6

More likely to take risks when cannot achieve goals safely
Birds forage in open fields (will risk exposing themselves to eat)
Bats mate in hibernacula (risk the fuel through energy expenditure to increase reproductive success)
Mice enter novel homes

Question 7

Risk Taking

Male – Female Differences

Answer 7

Disadvantaged males take the greatest risks

• Especially males without females & family
• Polygyny by-product

Females have specific risks (Mating, Pregnancy, Birth, Nurturance)

Question 8

Mishra et al. (2014)

Risk-taking

Answer 8

To evaluate risk-sensitivity theory using intelligence as a cue of competitive advantage or disadvantage

Experiment 1: Intelligence test, Feedback, Choice task 1
Competitive advantage: told they were at higher percentile on the test –>Took less risk
Competitive disadvantage: told did lower on intelligence test –>Took more risk financially

Experiment 2: Intelligence test, Feedback, Choice task 2
CD–>Control: made same # of risks
CD–>CA: decrease in risks
CD–>CD: took a greater number of risks than the first time
CA–>CD: about same number of risks

Question 9

Mishra et al. (2014)
Risk-taking
SUMMARY

Answer 9

No sex differences
Competitive disadvantage increase risk-taking
Cues of competitive disadvantage can be reversed (CD–>CA=decrease in risk-taking)
Competitive disadvantage does not fade over short time period (CD–>Control=same # of risks)

Question 10

Delay of Gratification

Answer 10

Short-term gratification sacrificed for long-term benefit (University, work, exercise, eating healthy)
Infants, very young children are impulse-driven (Stanford Marshmallow Experiment)
Individual differences are evident in childhood and can endure throughout life
Impulsive children and adolescents have more social and academic problems

Question 11

“Cool” regulatory strategies

Answer 11

calm, controlled, cognitive

involve more control over behaviour

Question 12

“Hot” regulatory strategies

Answer 12

emotional, impulsive, automatic
involve intense focus on the object causing temptation, and its most appealing elements, and poor ability to resist the immediate reward