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.
