Lecture 2 Flashcards
What is the thinking brain?
Cognitive & intellectual functions such as thinking, learning, remembering, decision making, & problem solving
What is a clinical diagnosis?
Understanding clinical conditions such as autism & dyslexia
What is the motivated brain?
needs, desires, liking, & wanting, cravings, pleasure & pain, addiction
What is the emotional brain?
Emotions, feelings, affect, & mood
What is the 1st principle of the motivated & emotional brain?
Day-to-day events activate specific brain structures – threat activates the amygdala & reward activates the ventral striatum (discovered from a study that applied some shock to different areas of the brain)
What is the 2nd principle of the motivated & emotional brain?
Activated brain structures then generate specific motivations & emotions – amygdala activation generates feelings of fear & activation of the prefrontal cortex generates self-control
Where is the cortical region of the brain?
The upper right region
Where is the subcortical regional of the brain?
Lower left side of the brain
Where is the hypothalamus in the brain?
Middle bottom
Where is the amygdala in the brain?
To the right of the hypothalamus
Where is the reticular formation in the brain?
In the brain stem
Where is the ventral tegmental area in the brain?
Lil dot in the brain closer to the right side
What is the reticular formation?
Has a key role in arousal, alertness, & process of awakening the brain to process incoming sensory information (2 parts: ascending = activate and descending = regulate)
What is the amygdala?
Collection of interconnected nuclei associated with emotion & motivation, specifically fear responses (during emotional traumatic events it becomes overwhelmed & when something triggering happens it perceives it as a threat)
What is the Hypothalamus?
Regulates a range of important biological functions, including eating, drinking, & mating (via the motivations for hunger satiety, thirst & sex)
What is the Ventral tegmental area (VTA)?
Part of the brain’s reward system, the VTA manufactures & releases dopamine
What is dopamine’s role in motivation?
Dopamine is a crucial neurotransmitter for motivation & movement, experience of “reward” or “pleasure” results from the release of dopamine, the brain can be trained to feed off bursts of dopamine sparked by rewarding experiences
What are the subcortical brain structures?
Reticular formation, amygdala, hypothalamus, & ventral tegmental area
What are the cortical brain structures?
Left & right prefrontal cortex’s
What is the prefrontal cortex?
the left & right prefrontal lobes of the cerebral cortex lie immediately behind the forehead; the right prefrontal cortex is more avoidant & negative whereas the left side is approach motivation & is more positive
Together these two cortical lobes underlie many important motivations, including affect/emotion, goals, & personal strivings
What is the behavioral activation system (BAS) - active left prefrontal cortex?
“When I get something that I want, I feel excited & energized”, “When good things happen to me, it affects me strongly”, “I crave excitement & new sensations”
What is the behavioral inhibition system (BAS) active right prefrontal cortex?
“If I think something unpleasant is going to happen, I usually get pretty worked up”, “Critisism or scolding hurts me quite a bit” & “I feel worried when I think I have poorly at something”
What are the cortical brain structures?
Orbitofrontal cortex & anterior cingulate cortex
What is the orbitofrontal cortex?
prefrontal cortex just above the eyes. It stores & processes reward-related information that helps people formulate their preferences & make choices between options (helps us to decide what to order at a restaurant)
What is the anterior cingulate cortex?
Involved in prioritizing attention, monitoring conflict, making choices, predicting the consequences of actions & altering other brain areas to resolve conflict
What is the cortisol hormone?
Known as “stress hormone”, activated in reaction to social-evaluative threats (ex. Public speaking), relationship conflict, etc. Short term adaptive function but long-term association with poor intellectual functioning, negative affect, & poor health outcomes
What is the oxytocin hormone?
Known as the “bonding” hormone, supports the “tend & befriend stress response”, increases trust in others, & motivates seeking the counsel, support, & care of others during times of stress
What is the testosterone hormone?
Associated with high competition, status-seeking, & sexual motivation, underlies status-seeking behavior (specifically status is questioned), & underlies the mating effort (but low levels associated with better parenting)
What is a need?
Any condition within the person that is essential & necessary for life, growth & well-being
When needs are nurtured & satisfied, growth occurs, life is maintained, & well-being is enhanced & if needs are neglected it will produce damage that disrupts biological or psychological well-being
What is the 1st sequence of the model of the need-drive-behavior sequence?
Satiated state - feel fine had breakfast and had a drink
What is the 2nd sequence of the model of the need-drive-behavior sequence?
Physiological deprivation develops – you didn’t eat breakfast & as class goes on you get hungrier
What is the 3rd sequence of the model of the need-drive-behavior sequence?
Prolonged physiological deprivation produces bodily need – now very hungry in class
What is the 4th sequence of the model of the need-drive-behavior sequence?
Need intensifies gives rise to psychological drive
What is the 5th sequence of the model of the need-drive-behavior sequence?
Goal directed motivated behavior occurs as an attempt to gratify drive
What is the 6th sequence of the model of the need-drive-behavior sequence?
Consummatory behavior occurs – finally eating something
What is the 7th sequence of the model of the need-drive-behavior sequence?
Drive is reduced – returned you back to a satiated state
What are the 7 core processes depicting the rise & fall of psychological drives?
Need (physiological), drive (psychological), homeostasis, negative feedback, multiple inputs/multiple outputs, intra-organismic mechanisms, & extra-organismic mechanisms
What is a physiological need as one of the core processes depicting the rise & fall of psychological drives?
deficient biological conditions (ex. Food loss)
What is psychological drive as one of the core processes depicting the rise & fall of psychological drives?
conscious manifestation of an underlying unconscious physiological need (ex. Thirst)
What is homeostasis as one of the core processes depicting the rise & fall of psychological drives?
Body’s tendency to maintain an internal stable state
What is negative feedback as one of the core processes depicting the rise & fall of psychological drives?
Physiological “stop system” for homeostasis (ex. Signals safety)
What is multiple outputs/multiple outputs as one of the core processes depicting the rise & fall of psychological drives?
Inputs = means of activation
Output = different goal-directed behavior (ex. Drinking water)
What is intra-organismic mechanisms as one of the core processes depicting the rise & fall of psychological drives?
All biological regulatory systems that activate, maintain , & terminate a biological need, includes brain structures, endocrine system, & bodily organs
What is extra-organismic mechanisms as one of the core processes depicting the rise & fall of psychological drives?
All environmental influences that activate, maintain & terminate a psychological drive (ex. Social, cognitive influences) such as wanting to lose weight
What are physiological needs?
Thirst, hunger, & sex
What is thirst?
Consciously experienced motivational state that prepares the person to perform behaviors necessary to replenish a water deficit
What is physiological regulation as a thirst process?
Water in contained in intracellular fluid (water inside cells, 40% of body weight), extracellular fluid (water in blood plasma, 20%), regulated through the heart, liver, etc.
What is thirst activation & satiety?
You feel thirsty when your cells are dehydrated, blood volume decreases changing blood pressure, dry mouth, headache
What are environmental influences on thirst?
We enjoy the taste of other beverages, the act of drinking is rewarding
What is sex as a psychological need?
Sexual motivation rises & falls in response to a host of factors, including hormones, external stimulation, external cues, cognitive scripts, sexual schemas, & evolutionary processes
What is the traditional sex response cycle?
Desire - arousal - orgasm - resolution
What is the alternative sex response cycle?
Intimacy need - being open & receptive to sexual stimuli - arousal - desire - enhanced intimacy
