Motivation Flashcards
What does ‘motivation’ mean in psych terms?
- changes in behaviour
- motives initiates behaviour
What is a ‘motive’?
Factors that energise, direct or sustain behaviour
> motivation acts as the bridge between psych and physiology
Describe Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs
- connects physiological, psych + social
> physiological needs - basic level
self-actualisation - the top of the pyramid
What factors motivate behaviour?
Motivation to succeed - arousal + peak performance
What is the Dodson Law [Yerkes]?
suggests that performance increases w/ arousal
THEN
decreases w/rising arousal
Define ‘delayed gratification’
the ability to postpone immediate gratification in the posit of long-term goals
What are the 2 basic physiological drives?
- Thermoregulation
- feeding/hunger
What does the hypothalamus do?
- 4 Fs
- involved in many motivated behaviours
What were the conclusions of Magoun’s research?
> thermoreceptors respond to temp
> warmed cat’s anterior hypothalamus
What did Magoun’s research support?
- the idea that the hypothalamus is involved in homeostasis + thermoregulation
What is the Dual-centre theory?
- hypothalamus has 2 centres
1. hunger centre
2. satiety (full)
How does Dual-centre theory work?
2 antagonistic components
> ON: Signals to start eating
> OFF: signals to stop eating
What causes the rats to overeat?
lesions to ventromedial hypothalamus [VMH]
What causes the rats to stop eating?
lesions to lateral hypothalamus
Describe the Fat rat study
the rat kept eating due to lesion in the VMH
Problem with DCT
the fat rat doesn’t keep eating > eventually the weight will be maintained
What is anorexia about?
Unhealthy way to cope with emotional problems.
Thinness = self-worth
What is anorexia?
Self-imposed weight loss
losing 15% of normal weight
social influence caused an increase
What is bulimia
Binging and purging
Causes of undereating disorders?
Biological factors: hypothalamus + serotonin
Personality/family factors: coming from a family that demands perfection
Describe the links between obesity + psychological health?
- negative stereotypes
- lower self-esteem
- likely to suffer from mental health issues
Give 2 reasons why sex is motivating.
- natural selection - sex = satisfying state
2. social motive, complex = initiates other behaviours
What is the primary sex organ?
The brain
How is the hypothalamus involved in sexual response?
stimulated > increased sexual pursuit > copulation
What were the 4 things Masters + Johnson noticed?
- women vary more than men
- women respond slower BUT arouse for longer
- women can have multiple orgasms
- penis size ≠ performance
What were Master + Johnson’s conclusions?
- Men + women have similar sexual response cycles
- women vary»_space; men
Interpersonal factors - general arousal can be translated into _____ ?
Sexual arousal
What are the 3 myths surrounding sexual orientation?
- ID w/opposite sex parent doesn’t change sex. orientation
- first sexual encounter doesn’t change orientation
- person cannot be ‘recruited’
Describe the Dresden experiment
- After WWII, more homosexual males were born than before
> correlated with the stress experienced by the mothers
How does stress affect testosterone levels?
releases cortisol»_space; Blocks testosterone synthesis in adrenal glands
Describe LeVay’s anatomical study
- studies dead males who had died from AIDS
- parts of hypothalamus > in hetero men than in homosexual men/women
Why was LeVay’s study problematic?
- brain died/changed bc of AIDS
What does Dresden’s study suggest?
Foetuses didn’t get proper doses of testosterone at critical times
Describe the Pig Birth order study
- pigs of utero are connected
- # of male siblings upstream of female predicts amount of male behaviour observed later
- testosterone generated by males travels down to female’s system
How is gender programmed in the brain?
turn on testosterone secretion in M Foetuses
> turns on alpha feta protein
> bonds w ESTRADIOL MOL.
> prevents it from changing from F to M
What is Bem’s “Exotic Beomces Erotic” Theory?
- if the kid doesn’t conform, they feel EXOTIC
- this exotic feeling leads to physiological arousal»_space; then interpreted as SEXUAL AROUSAL (EXOTIC)
