emotion and motivation - week 10 part 2

Question 1

can you define motivation?

Answer 1

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

Question 2

how can we understand behaviour fully?

Answer 2

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

Question 3

levels of motivation

Answer 3

high power (grades)

low power (eating)

Question 4

is emotion more than a reflex

Answer 4

yes

preparatory vs. consummatory behaviour

Question 5

emotion is more than a reflex
study

Answer 5

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

Question 6

preparator vs consummatory

different neural basis

Answer 6

distinction exists biologically

consummatory = stereotypical / reflexive = hypothalamus

preparatory = flexible / goal-directed = amygdala

Question 6

preparator vs consummatory

different neural basis

Answer 6

distinction exists biologically

consummatory = stereotypical / reflexive = hypothalamus

preparatory = flexible / goal-directed = amygdala

Question 7

preparator vs consummatory

evidence

Answer 7

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

Question 8

drive theory

homeostatic mechanisms are important in explaining some behaviour

Answer 8

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

Question 9

drive theory

what happens when a set point is deviated from

Answer 9

directs behaviour

set point restored

the body sends out a signal to stop acting
- this is negative feedback

Question 10

drive theory

what pushes or pulls behaviour

Answer 10

motivation pushes or pulls behaviour

drives cause eating + drinking
- push

pulled towards other behaviours
- incentives

Question 11

why are rewards rewarding

Answer 11

rewards are rewarding because they reduce drive state

Question 12

drive theory

homeostatic control and drug addiction

Answer 12

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

Question 13

incentive motivation

Answer 13

motivation pushes and pulls behaviour

Question 14

incentive motivation

hedonic reward

Answer 14

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

Question 15

incentive motivation

what is the core element of incentive?

Answer 15

learning

Question 16

incentive motivation

what is the core element of incentive?
learning

Answer 16

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

Question 17

incentive motivation - learning
why does the rat press the lever?

Answer 17

for the light?
as it is rewarding
because it is associated with the primary reward (sex/food)

Question 18

what is reward?

Answer 18

complex
combination of liking and wanting = reward

liking (sensory pleasure) + wanting (motivational incentive value) = reward
liking process seems what motivated behaviour is linked to

Question 19

what distinct liking from wanting?

Answer 19

biological reason

Question 20

what distincts liking from wanting?

liking

Answer 20

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

Question 21

what are theories of motivation trying to do?

Answer 21

trying to explain flexible goal directed behaviour

liking response not flexible and not goal orientated

wanting fits this critera

Question 22

what are theories of motivation trying to do?

Answer 22

trying to explain flexible goal directed behaviour

liking response not flexible and not goal orientated

wanting fits this critera

Question 23

what distincts liking from wanting?

wanting

Answer 23

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)

Question 24

what distincts liking from wanting?

wanting - how can we measure?

Answer 24

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!

Question 25

addictive drug rewards

conditioned place reference procedure

Answer 25

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

Question 26

conditioned incentives for stimulus

Answer 26

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

Question 27

incentive motivation

Answer 27

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

Question 28

is incentive value learned?

Answer 28

yes

Question 29

is incentive motivation more than that we are just simply drawn towards rewards?

Answer 29

yes

Question 30

key points
motivated behaviours are…

Answer 30

flexible and goal orientated

Question 31

key points
motivated behaviours are governed by..

Answer 31

incentive processes

Question 32

key points
the incentive processes are modulated by…

Answer 32

internal states