Chapter 8 - Motivation Terms and Concepts

Question 1

Motivation

Answer 1

A condition or state that energizes and directs an organism’s actions

Question 2

Instincts

Answer 2

Innate patterns of behavior that occur in every normally functioning member of a species under certain set conditions

Question 3

Incentive

Answer 3

Any external stimulus that can motivate behavior even when no internal drive state exists

Question 4

Need for Achievement (nAch)

Answer 4

Complex psychosocial motive to accomplish difficult goals, attain high standards, surpass the achievements of others, and increase self-regard by succeeding in exercising talent

Question 5

Cognitive Expectancies

Answer 5

A learned expectancy of relationships between stimuli (in Pavlovian conditioning) and between responses & outcomes (in operant conditioning)

Question 6

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Answer 6

Theory that people experience psychological discomfort or dissonance whenever two related cognitions or behaviors are in conflict

Question 7

Biologically Based Motives

Answer 7

Motives such as hunger and thirst that are rooted primarily in body tissue needs; sometimes referred to as drives

Question 8

Drive

Answer 8

Commonly used to describes motives that are based on tissue needs, such as hunger and thirst

Question 9

Ventromedial Hypothalamus (VMH)

Answer 9

A region of the hypothalamus in which damage results in faster gastric emptying and an increase in insulin production (The VMH is also important for female sexual behavior)

Question 10

Lateral Hypothalamus (LH)

Answer 10

An area of the hypothalamus that is important for taste sensation, mediating digestive processes, and salivation

Question 11

Arcuate Nucleus

Answer 11

An area of the hypothalamus, adjacent to the ventromedial nucleus which regulates the secretion of neuropeptide Y and insulin

Question 12

Neuropeptide Y (NPY)

Answer 12

A potent stimulator of appetite as well as a regulator of insulin secretion

Question 13

Glucotastic Hypothesis

Answer 13

Theory that hunger results when glucoreceptors detect a lack of glucose, either because blood levels of glucose are low or because insulin is not available in sufficient quantity

Question 14

Cholecystokinin (CCK)

Answer 14

A hormone that regulates the rate of food digestion and decreases appetite by affecting neurons in the hypothalamus

Question 15

Leptin

Answer 15

A hormone that is produced by fat cells and appears to signal satiety to neurons in the hypothalamus

Question 16

Obesity

Answer 16

Condition in which an individual weighs 20 percent or more above the desirable weight for his or her height

Question 17

Anorexia Nervosa

Answer 17

Eating disorder characterized by prolonged refusal to eat adequate amounts of food are most common among young adults

Question 18

Bulimia

Answer 18

Eating disorder characterized by periodic episodes of binge eating followed by deliberate purging using either vomiting or laxatives

Question 19

Sensation-Seeking Motive

Answer 19

An explanation for the apparent need for certain levels of stimulation including the need to explore the environment and the need for sensory stimulation

Question 20

Arousal

Answer 20

A physiological state in which an individual is able to process information effectively and to engage in motivated behavior

Question 21

Optimum Level of Arousal

Answer 21

Level of arousal at which an individual’s performance on a specific task is most efficient

Question 22

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Answer 22

Principle that the optimum level of arousal for peak performance will vary somewhat depending on the nature of the task

Question 23

Androgens

Answer 23

Male sex hormones the most common which is testosterone

Question 24

Estrogens

Answer 24

Hormones that influence female sexual development

Question 25

Cultural Mores

Answer 25

Established customs or beliefs in a particular culture

Question 26

Sexual Orientation

Answer 26

Sex to which an individual is attracted

Question 27

Homosexuality

Answer 27

Primary erotic, psychological, and social interest in members of the same sex, even though that interest may not be expressed overtly