Motivation

Question 1

Who’s theory is the instinct theory?

Answer 1

McDougall, 1908

Question 2

What is the instinct theory of motivation?

Answer 2

All organisms are born with innate responses that motivate behaviour. e.g. hunger = eating

Question 3

What is Hull’s Drive Reduction Theory?

Answer 3

Physical disruptions to homeostasis produce drives. The goal of motivated behaviour is to reduce these drives.

Question 4

What are drives?

Answer 4

States of internal tension that motivate an organism to behave in ways that reduce this tension.

Question 5

What are primary drives?

Answer 5

Fulfilment of biological drives (e.g. hunger, thirst)

Question 6

What are secondary drives?

Answer 6

Fulfilment of learned drives (conditioning). (e.g. going to work/school).

Question 7

What is the behavioural activation system?

Answer 7

Produces movement towards positive goals in anticipation of pleasure

Question 8

What is the behavioural inhibition system?

Answer 8

Produces fear and escape/avoidant behaviours

Question 9

What are incentives?

Answer 9

Environmental stimuli that pull an organism toward a goal? e.g. anticipation of a good grade is an incentive for studying

Question 10

What is extrinsic motivation?

Answer 10

Performing an activity to obtain an external reward or avoid punishment (e.g. student studying to get a good grade)

Question 11

What is intrinsic motivation?

Answer 11

Performing an activity for its own sake (e.g. student studying to learn) [Cameron and Pierce, 1994]

Question 12

How does Maslow describe motivation?

Answer 12

Humans strive for self-actualisation. In order to achieve this, humans must achieve personal growth goals, motivated by the need perfect ourselves mentally, artistically, emotionally and socially. We strive to reach our potential to receive lifelong benefits.

Question 13

Describe Deci’s study/

Answer 13

Deci (1971, 72, 73) asked students to complete a soma puzzle. Experimental group offered money, control offered nothing. Experimental group spent less time on the puzzle when the experimenter was not around.

Question 14

What is Ryan and Deci’s (2000) self-determination theory?

Answer 14

The theory focuses on 3 fundamental psychological needs - competence, autonomy and relatedness - and how they relate to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

Question 15

What is competence motivation?

Answer 15

The basic human need to experience oneself as capable, to master new challenges and to perfect skills. Motivates exploratory and growth-inducing behaviours.

Question 16

What is autonomy motivation?

Answer 16

The need for one to experience their actions as a result of free choice without external interference. This motivates a greater self-ownership of behaviours and feelings.

Question 17

What is relatedness motivation?

Answer 17

The need to form meaningful bonds with others.

Question 18

Describe Cannon and Washburn’s findings of the stomach

Answer 18

Stomach contractions send signals to the brain making us aware of our hunger. This motivates us to eat (1912)

Question 19

What were Mayer’s (1955) findings?

Answer 19

Humans are motivated to eat when blood glucose level is low.

Question 20

What does high nAch involve?

Answer 20

People with high nAch pick activities that require planning, are moderately difficult or risky, and take individual responsibility for the outcome

Question 21

What is mastery orientation?

Answer 21

The focus on personal improvement, giving maximum effort and perfecting new skills.

Question 22

What is ego/performance orientation?

Answer 22

Goal to outperform others with as little effort as possible

Question 23

What are mastery-approach goals?

Answer 23

Goals with higher intrinsic motivation (e.g. student wanting to learn as much as possible from a class)

Question 24

What are mastery-avoidant goals?

Answer 24

Goals that are motivated by the fear of not performing up to one’s own standard (e.g. student’s goal is to avoid learning too little)

Question 25

What are performance-approach goals?

Answer 25

Goals focusing on outperforming others, motivated by extrinsic motivation (e.g. student’s goal to do better than others in the class).

Question 26

What are performance-avoidant goals?

Answer 26

Goals focusing on avoiding being outperformed by others (student avoiding performing more poorly than others in the class).

Question 27

What is approach-approach conflict?

Answer 27

When two goals are equally desirable or attractive (e.g. student wanting to get into two equally desirable universities/careers)

Question 28

What is avoidance-avoidance conflict?

Answer 28

When two goals are equally undesirable or unattractive (e.g. studying boring material, or not studying and failing)

Question 29

What is approach-avoidance conflict?

Answer 29

Being attracted to and repelled by the same goal