Chapter Eleven Flashcards
motivation
a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior.
instinct
a complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned.
physiological need
a basic bodily requirement.
drive-reduction theory
the idea that a physiological need creates an aroused state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need.
homeostasis
a tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level.
incentive
a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior.
Yerkes-Dodson law
the principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases.
Performance peaks at lower levels of arousal for difficult tasks, and at higher levels for easy or well-learned tasks. (1) How might this phenomenon affect marathon runners? (2) How might this phenomenon affect anxious test-takers facing a difficult exam?
(1) Well-practiced runners tend to excel when aroused by competition. (2) High anxiety about a difficult exam may disrupt test-takers’ performance.
hierarchy of needs
Maslow’s pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied before higher-level safety needs and then psychological needs become active.
After hours of driving alone in an unfamiliar city, you finally see a diner. Although it looks deserted and a little creepy, you stop because you are really hungry and thirsty. How would Maslow’s hierarchy of needs explain your behavior?
According to Maslow, our drive to meet the physiological needs of hunger and thirst takes priority over our safety needs, prompting us to take risks at times.
glucose
the form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major source of energy for body tissues. When its level is low, we feel hunger.
set point
the point at which your “weight thermostat” may be set. When your body falls below this weight, increased hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may combine to restore lost weight.
basal metabolic rate
the body’s resting rate of energy output.
Hunger occurs in response to ____________ (low/high) blood glucose and ____________ (low/high) levels of ghrelin.
low; high
After an 8-hour hike without food, your long-awaited favorite dish is placed in front of you, and your mouth waters in anticipation. Why?
You have learned to respond to the sight and aroma that signal the food about to enter your mouth. Both physiological cues (low blood sugar) and psychological cues (anticipation of the tasty meal) heighten your experienced hunger.
obesity
defined as a body mass index (BMI) measurement of 30 or higher. (Overweight individuals have a BMI of 25 or higher.)
Why can two people of the same height, age, and activity level maintain the same weight, even if one of them eats much less than the other does?
Genetically influenced set/settling points, metabolism, and other factors influence the way our bodies burn calories. Sleep deprivation, which makes us more vulnerable to weight gain, may also factor in.
asexual
having no sexual attraction to others.
testosterone
the most important male sex hormone. Both males and females have it, but the additional testosterone in males stimulates the growth of the male sex organs during the fetal period and the development of the male sex characteristics during puberty.
estrogens
sex hormones, such as estradiol, that contribute to female sex characteristics and are secreted in greater amounts by females than by males. Estrogen levels peak during ovulation. In nonhuman mammals, this promotes sexual receptivity.
The primary male sex hormone is ____________. The primary female sex hormones are the ____________.
testosterone; estrogens
sexual response cycle
the four stages of sexual responding described by Masters and Johnson—excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution.
refractory period
in human sexuality, a resting period that occurs after orgasm, during which a person cannot achieve another orgasm.
sexual response cycle
the four stages of sexual responding described by Masters and Johnson—excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution.
refractory period
in human sexuality, a resting period that occurs after orgasm, during which a person cannot achieve another orgasm.
sexual dysfunction
a problem that consistently impairs sexual arousal or functioning at any point in the sexual response cycle.
erectile disorder
inability to develop or maintain an erection due to insufficient bloodflow to the penis.
female orgasmic disorder
distress due to infrequently or never experiencing orgasm.
paraphilias
sexual arousal from fantasies, behaviors, or urges involving nonhuman objects, the suffering of self or others, and/or nonconsenting persons.
Someone who is distressed by impaired sexual arousal may be diagnosed with a ____________ ____________. Exhibitionism would be considered a ____________.
sexual dysfunction; paraphilia
What factors influence our sexual motivation and behavior?
Influences include biological factors such as sexual maturity and sex hormones, psychological factors such as environmental stimuli and fantasies, and social-cultural factors such as the values and expectations absorbed from family and the surrounding culture.
Which THREE of the following five factors contribute to unplanned teen pregnancies?
Alcohol use
Higher intelligence level
Father absence
Mass media models
Participating in service learning programs
a, c, d
sexual orientation
an enduring sexual attraction toward members of one’s own sex (homosexual orientation), the other sex (heterosexual orientation), or both sexes (bisexual orientation).
Which THREE of the following five factors have researchers found to have an effect on sexual orientation?
A domineering mother
The size of a certain cell cluster in the hypothalamus
Prenatal hormone exposure
A distant or ineffectual father
For right-handed men, having multiple older biological brothers
b, c, e
affiliation need
the need to build relationships and to feel part of a group.
ostracism
deliberate social exclusion of individuals or groups.
How have students reacted in studies where they were made to feel rejected and unwanted? What helps explain these results?
They engaged in more self-defeating behaviors and displayed more disparaging and aggressive behavior. These students’ basic need to belong seems to have been disrupted.
narcissism
excessive self-love and self-absorption.
Social networking tends to (strengthen/weaken) your relationships with people you already know and (increase/decrease) your self-disclosure.
strengthen; increase
achievement motivation
a desire for significant accomplishment; for mastery of skills or ideas; for control; and for attaining a high standard.
grit
in psychology, passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals.
What have researchers found to be an even better predictor of school performance than intelligence test scores?
self-discipline (grit)
