Motivation Flashcards
What is motivation
The driving force behind behaviour
What does the strength of motivation determine?
Determines the likelihood of achieving goals
What is motivation influenced by?
Internal and external factors:
- experience
- beliefs
- physiological state
What is drive?
A state of arousal that drives behaviour
What are primary drives?
Innate needs such as food water and sex
We are focussed on things most needed for survival
What are secondary drives?
They are learned through association with primary drives
Explain the drive reduction theory
Unmet needs lead to an unpleasant internal state (we want to reduce this)
Behaviour reduces unpleasant states which leads to a drive reduction
Therefore drive reduction is pleasant and leads to drive reduction
Are there any limitations to drive reduction theory?
External stimuli can activate drives (not all internal, eg. Not hungry until smell food)
Can be motivated to behave in ways that do not reduce drives
We often engage in behaviours when drives are satisfied
Explain the arousal theory?
We are motivated to maintain an optimum level of arousal
What happens if we are too high above our optimum state of arousal
Stressed
Don’t perform well
What happens when we are below our optimum state of arousal
Bored and don’t perform well
What is the yerkes-Dodson law?
An inverted U shape relationship between arousal and performance
When arousal is too low or too high - performance is low
Different for complex and simple tasks
Explain stimulus hunger
Can occur when under aroused
A drive for stimulation
Explain approach and avoidance in relation to motivation
Approach means a predisposition towards a certain stimuli
Avoidance means a predisposition away from a certain stimuli
What is the relationship between the approach and avoidance theory
They can often be in conflict.
The closer we get to our goals, our tendencies to avoid increase
Explain the incentive theory
We are motivated by positive goals.
What are the two components to incentive theory and what do they mean
Intrinsic motivation: internal reward driven
Extrinsic motivation: external reward driven
What is an incentive?
A reward
Explain expectancy-value theory.
Motivation is influenced by both the value placed on the goal and the perceived ability to attain it
Part of the incentive theory
Explain reward pathways
System of dopamine producing neurons
Extends from the midbrain to the frontal and limbic areas, including nucleus accumbens
What role do reward pathways in motivation?
Dopamine is released when a stimulus is rewarding - this acts as a learning signal to repeat behaviours
Humanistic perspective on motivation?
Argues desire for personal growth is what motivates behaviour
Relates to Maslows hierarchy of needs
What is maslows hierarchy or needs? What order does it go in from bottom to top?
Physiological needs - safety needs- belonging needs - esteem needs -self-actualisation
Claims that the lower levels need to be fulfilled before progressing to more complex needs
Explain the hormones etc involved in increasing and decreasing hunger
Ghrelin is a hormone in the stomach that communicates with the hypothalamus to increase hunger.
cholecystokinin signals satiety and reduces appetite
Explain set point theories of eating
Claims individuals have a genetic set point or optimum level of body fat and metabolism that is maintained by homeostatic mechanisms
Homeostasis return to this set point by increasing or decreasing appetite
What are the limitations to the set point theory of eating
Does not explain obesity or eating disorders
Ignores the role of learning and psychosocial factors
Conflicts with evolutionary perspectives
The positive incentive theory of eating?
The primary reason for eating is the expected pleasure of it
This is due to physiological and evolutionary mechanisms, learnt responses and social influences
Glucostatic theory?
Hunger or satiety is signalled when blood glucose drops increases
What role does insulin play in hunger
Insulin is released when we eat and allows glucose to enter cells and provide satiety signals to the hypothalamus
Nutrient/stretch receptors in relation to hunger
The receptors send messages to the hypothalamus that indicate fullness
What role does lepton play?
Hormone sends signals about fat stores
What are the brain mechanisms involved in hunger and satiety
Lateral hypothalamus:
Damage decreases hunger (no on switch)
Ventromedial hypothalamus:
Damage increases hunger (no satiety switch)
What are the psychosocial factors of eating?
- Taste of food: innate preference for sweet foods
- Classical conditioning: conditioner to eat at certain times and a response to some stimulus
- Presence of others: likely to eat more in the presence of others
- Anxiety reduction: ‘comfort eating’
What are the evolutionary pressures of weight gain/obesity?
The ones who ate the most were the most likely to survive when food was scarce
What are the cultural pressures of weight gain/obesity?
Portion distortion ‘unit bias’
Beliefs around eating
What are the physiological and genetic pressures of weight gain/obesity
- Lepton deficiency: difficulty recognising when full and store fat more effectively
- Melanocortin-4 receptor gene mutation: inability to feel full
- obesity may damage stretch receptors in the stomach
- polygenic effects
What are the neuropsychologist pressures of weightgain/obesity?
- Sensitivity to reward: reward pathways, increased motivation to derive pleasure from eating
- reward deficiency syndrome: hypoactivity in the reward pathways
Excessive eating occurs to increase reward responses
What chemicals increase sexual motivation?
Testosterone: higher levels - higher sex drive
Serotonin: higher levels - decreased sex drive
Oxytocin: higher during affectionate interaction
Genetics: DRD4 protein (dopamine transporter)
What is the 4 phase sexual response cycle?
Excitement: people experience sexual pleasure and start to notice physiological changes
Plateau:
Orgasm: sexual pleasures and physical changes peak
Resolution: relaxation and sense of well being as body returns to unstimulated state
Is the sexual response cycle different for the different gender
It is the same for females and males
What factors impact on sexual behaviour
Length of time with partner: decreases longer you’re with partner
Cultural norms influence sexual-related activity and importance of chastity varies
What is interpersonal attraction influenced by?
- Proximity and nearness
- Similarity
- Reciprocity (give and take)
- Level of physical attraction
Sex differences in attraction?
Males: go for looks and a younger mate
Women: financial resources and older mates
Both want intelligence, dependability and kindness
How to people rate an average face?
The more average a face in - the more highly rated it is
This holds up against cultures
Why do people like an average face?
More symmetrical but also may indicate a general preference for more familiar stimuli
What is sternbergs triangular theory of love?
Three major elements: intimacy, commitment and passion = consummate love
Explain liking (triangular theory)
Liking: There’s intimacy but no passion or commitment here
Explain infatuation (triangular theory)
Infatuation: Here, there’s passion but no intimacy or commitment
What is empty love (triangular love)
Empty love: This is what people have who are committed but share no passion or intimacy.
What is fatuous love (triangular theory)?
Fatuous love: This is the highest level of commitment and passion but it offers low levels of intimacy
What is compassionate love (triangular theory)?
Companionate love: This form of love is being committed and intimate but lacking in passion
What is consummate love? (Triangular theory)
Consummate love: this form is the total package: high passion, strong commitment, and deep intimacy. This has got to be “consuming.”
What does Sternberg suggest that hate consists of?
Negation of intimacy
Passion
Commitment
And combinations lead to different types of hatred
All 3 = burning hatred
What is achievement motivation?
The need to be successful to avoid failure
What do high achievers do?
- Select tasks that are reasonable difficult but attainable
- Tend to be more persistent and take more pride in achieving
- Tend to attribute past success to themselves and past failure to external factors
High achieving ≠ greater ability
What does achievement motivation include?
Performance goals - desire to attain a certain level and focussed on outcome
What are approach goals?
Motivation is desire to achieve goal
What are avoidance goals?
Motivation is a fear of failure
What are mastery goals?
Desire to improve ability and skills, more intrinsic value
What happens when motivation goes into overdrive?
Addiction.
What are the physical dependence theories of addiction?
- Physical dependence is the cycle of taking the drug, trying to stop, restarting due to unpleasant withdrawal symptoms
What are the problems with the physical dependence theory of addiction?
Some drugs have few withdrawal symptoms
Many people with addiction will have an irregular drug taking routine
What is the positive-incentive theories of addiction?
Anticipation and craving of the positive effects associated with taking the substance
What is the incentive-sensitisation theory?
The more a drug is used, the greater the positive incentive value becomes
explains why addicted people crave drugs even when they have developed tolerance to the drug
Reward pathways and drug addiction?
For drugs of dependence, reward pathways are initially activated (dopamine released) during drug use and later by even the expectation of receiving the drug (drug cues)
