emotion and motivation - week 10 part 2 Flashcards
can you define motivation?
difficult to define
most people agree that motivated behaviours are associated with emotion
- emotions are usually accompanied by behaviours that are directed towards specific goals
eg. fear and avoidance are motivated
easiest way to define them is to look at behaviours which are not motivated
- automatic - reflexes - little control over them - stereotyped manner (look the same)
motivation is what allows for the variability in behaviour
how can we understand behaviour fully?
need to be able to know why it varies over time
- why do people do different things at different times in the face of constant stimuli
eg. eating; when we are at the same level of hunger sometimes we eat and sometimes we don’t
we need to be able to explain why it is directed towards specific outcomes
- why individuals seek out specific things at specific times
- when we are hungry sometimes we eat different foods
levels of motivation
high power (grades)
low power (eating)
is emotion more than a reflex
yes
preparatory vs. consummatory behaviour
emotion is more than a reflex
study
rat press lever for food
preparatory phase –> the rat can learn to press a lever for food in order to gain access to the food
consummatory phase —> eating the food
consummatory doesn’t have much variation
- the rat eating the food, the behaviour looks the same each time
the preparatory phase is more variable
preparator vs consummatory
different neural basis
distinction exists biologically
consummatory = stereotypical / reflexive = hypothalamus
preparatory = flexible / goal-directed = amygdala
preparator vs consummatory
different neural basis
distinction exists biologically
consummatory = stereotypical / reflexive = hypothalamus
preparatory = flexible / goal-directed = amygdala
preparator vs consummatory
evidence
looks at sexual behaviour in rats
two aspects
- pressing lever
- mating with female
damage to the hypothalamus (consummatory)
- male presses lever to gain access to female but does not mate with female
damage to amygdala (preparatory)
- rat didn’t press lever as much
- if trap door opened the rat would mate
drive theory
homeostatic mechanisms are important in explaining some behaviour
the process in which the body maintains a stable internal environment in response to deviations from that environment
- deviations from the ideal result in a need state or a physiological deprivation state
- this is a drive state
- this drive activates and directs behaviour
drive theory
what happens when a set point is deviated from
directs behaviour
set point restored
the body sends out a signal to stop acting
- this is negative feedback
drive theory
what pushes or pulls behaviour
motivation pushes or pulls behaviour
drives cause eating + drinking
- push
pulled towards other behaviours
- incentives
why are rewards rewarding
rewards are rewarding because they reduce drive state
drive theory
homeostatic control and drug addiction
withdrawal from addictive drugs (eg. heroin) produces physiological withdrawal
more drug required to return to physiological set-point
–> trying to return their bodies to their physiological set points normal state
incentive motivation
motivation pushes and pulls behaviour
incentive motivation
hedonic reward
unrelated to motivational drive
rewarding properties of stimuli alter behaviour
- preference for rewarding properties of stimuli underlies incentive motivation theory
- may be drawn towards eating a particular food because we learn its flavour is associated with a +ve hedonic response through Pavlovian conditioning
- even the thought of a food might come to be associated with rewarding properties
eg. reminded of a tasty meal can make one feel hungry
we know we dont always seek out food if reminded of it
so behaviour cannot be solely motivated by incentive stimuli
incentive motivation
what is the core element of incentive?
learning
incentive motivation
what is the core element of incentive?
learning
eg. money
much of our lives directed by acquisition of money
it is the reward for performing a job
but money doesnt have intrinsic value of its own
but we learn that money allows us to acquire other things that we need
it is learning that money is a conditional reward has value that underpins that motivated behaviour
incentive motivation - learning
why does the rat press the lever?
for the light?
as it is rewarding
because it is associated with the primary reward (sex/food)
what is reward?
complex
combination of liking and wanting = reward
liking (sensory pleasure) + wanting (motivational incentive value) = reward
liking process seems what motivated behaviour is linked to
what distinct liking from wanting?
biological reason
what distincts liking from wanting?
liking
liking = sensory pleasure (but unconscious)
can be conditioned
brainstem
hierarchal control - modulated by the forebrain
–> but basic response (still show liking if forebrain removed)
seen in adults infants and animals
stereotypical - automatic - look the same
what are theories of motivation trying to do?
trying to explain flexible goal directed behaviour
liking response not flexible and not goal orientated
wanting fits this critera
what are theories of motivation trying to do?
trying to explain flexible goal directed behaviour
liking response not flexible and not goal orientated
wanting fits this critera
what distincts liking from wanting?
wanting
wanting = motivational incentive value
not sensory pleasure
not cognitive
can also be conditioned to stimuli
mesolimbic dopamine
—> key biological mechanism that underpins this motivational wanting (different from liking)
what distincts liking from wanting?
wanting - how can we measure?
runway
rodent placed in left part of runway
release from start box
measure speed of mouse to run to other end of runway
- run faster if there is a reward at the other end because have elevated dopamine levels
- not liking!
addictive drug rewards
conditioned place reference procedure
6 condition place preference boxes
these boxes are divded into two regions
- rats can tell the differene
can measure motivation by associating one of these boxes with a reward
2006 - cocaine
then look at where rat spends the most time when given the choice
generally rats spends more of their time in the region associated with cocaine
it is motivated by that fact there has been learning associated with that area because it is predictive of the receiving of cocaine
conditioned incentives for stimulus
automatic approach to a stimulus that is predictive of a reward
rats will automatically approach stimuli even though that approach is not necessary in order to gain access to a reward
almost no longer motivated - automatic and reflexive
so even though incentive motivation seems to be appealing
- in terms of motivation to gain access to reward and stimuli associated with rewards
- does that behaviour in itself become so automatic and reflexive that it is no longer motivated
incentive motivation
still flexible
incorporates a recognition of these motivational drives states
the value of the reward depends upon our current drive states
eg. food tastes better when hungry
eg. water more refreshing when thirsty
is incentive value learned?
yes
is incentive motivation more than that we are just simply drawn towards rewards?
yes
key points
motivated behaviours are…
flexible and goal orientated
key points
motivated behaviours are governed by..
incentive processes
key points
the incentive processes are modulated by…
internal states
