Motivation, Emotion, and Stress Flashcards
instinct theory/evolutionary perspective
we are motivated by our inborn automated behaviors
unlearned behaviors that have a fixed pattern throughout a species
primarily applies to animals
drive reduction theory
behavior is motivated by physiological needs
these physiological needs create physiological drives
your body’s goal is to maintain homeostasis (pH and pOH balance)
push factor
our physiological need to reduce drives (internal)
pull factor
incentive environmental stimuli that motivate behavior (external)
arousal theory
we are motivated to seek an optimum level of arousal
if our drives are being met, we are more motivated to engage in behavior not related to physiological drives
Yerkes-Dodson Law
a moderate amount of stress or anxiety increases our performance
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
describes our motivation for certain behaviors
stomach contractions
accompany our feelings of hunger, but hunger remains if stomach is removed, therefore hunger does not come solely from the stomach
blood sugar glucose
our hormone insulin naturally uses glucose (a blood sugar in our bodies) for a variety of functions
when our glucose gets too low, our brain will trigger hunger
brain basis of hunger
stimulation to lateral hypothalamus increases hunger
(LH = Large Hunger)
stimulation to ventromedial hypothalamus decreases hunger
stomach hormones
a hormone that increases hunger is ghrelin
hormones that decrease hunger include obestatin, PYY, and Leptin
set point theory
your body acts like a “weight thermostat”
you experience changes in hunger and metabolism when your body rises above or falls below your set weight
metabolism
body’s rate of energy expenditure
obesity
severely overweight to the point it causes health issues
bulimia nervosa
characterized by binging and purging
anorexia nervosa
starve/exercise themselves to below 85% of natural body weight (see themselves as fat)
what causes eating disorders?
genetics, body dissatisfaction, western cultures idolize thin
kinsey studies
interviewed almost 20,000 people in the 1940s and 1950s about their sexual behavior
masters and johnson study
during the late 50s and early 60s, they attaches people to recording equipment and measured physiological responses during sex and masturbation
they determined the human sexual response cycle
sexual response cycle
stages: excitement, plateau, orgasm, resolution (with refraction periods)
the psychology of sex
despite stereotypes, both men and women become aroused to seeing, hearing, and reading erotic material
the more an individual views sexually violent media, the more their acceptance of rape and willingness to hurt women increases
viewing images of sexually attractive men and women tends to make people devalue their own partners
this also applies to viewing pornography/devaluing your own sex life
adolescent sexuality
compared with European teens, American teens have a lower rate of contraceptive use, a higher rate of teen pregnancy, and a higher rate of abortion Why?
ignorance, guilt about sex, alcohol use, mass media
sexual orientation
- the enduring attraction toward another person
- no link between environment and sexual orientation
- therefore sexual orientation is likely biologically determined
- Simon LeVay determined there were hypothalamus cluster size differences between heterosexuals and homosexuals
- later research showed general brain hemisphere size differences in different orientations
- homosexuality does appear to run in families
- hormone levels in the prenatal environment have also been shown to affect orientation
need for achievement
this area measures your need to achieve success in life
people with high need in this area like moderately difficult tasks
Intrinsic motivators
exists within the individual
a desire to perform behavior effectively for it own sake
extrinsic motivators
exists outside the individual
a desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment
need power
this area measures your need to influence and/or control other people
***if high in this area, you like to be in charge of situations
need for intimacy
this area measures your need to have close and warm relationships with others
these can be romantic relationships, friendships, family, etc.
flow
a completely involved, focused state of consciousness, with diminished awareness of self and time, resulting from optimal engagement of one’s skills
industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology
the application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces
personnel psychology
selecting and evaluating workers
organizational psychology
considers how work and management influences worker motivation, satisfaction, and productivity
human factors psychology
explores how machines and environments can be optimally designed to fit human abilities
theory X management
assumes employees are extrinsically motivated, lazy/dislike work
theory Y management
assumes employees are intrinsically motivated and ambitious
task leadership
goal oriented leaders who focus on organizing work
social leadership
group orientated leaders who focus on building teamwork
approach-approach conflict
choice between two positive outcomes
avoidance-avoidance conflict
choice between two negative outcomes
approach-avoidance conflict
one choice that has both positive and negative outcomes
James-Lange Theory
the theory that experience of emotion is our awareness of physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli
***a stimulus causes our body to respond first which then causes our emotion
Cannon-Bard Theory
the theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers physiological responses and the subjective experience of the emotion
***A stimulus causes our body response and emotion at the same time
Singer-Schachter’s Two-Factor Theory
the theory that to experience emotion one must (1) be physically aroused and (2) cognitively label the arousal
***combines the two previous theories and adds cognition
Opponent Process Theory of Emotion
when an emotion is experienced, its opposite is repressed; when the emotion-causing stimulus is no longer present, the opposite emotion intensifies
***explains some thrill-seeking behaviors like skydiving
two-track brain
sensory input may be (1) routed directly to the amygdala for an instant emotional reaction or (2) to the cortex for analysis before reaction
***brain “shortcuts” its normal process during dangerous situation
spillover effect
emotional arousal from one event can “spill over” to a subsequent event
adaptation level phenomenon
our tendency to form judgements relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience
relative deprivation
the perception that we are worse off relative to those with whom we compare ourselves
catharsis
emotional release; research shows cathartic release typically breads more anger
autonomic nervous system
experience of emotion causes physiological arousal
Compared to men, women…
read people’s emotional cues better, spot lies better, express empathy and happiness more, but express anger less
emotional expression
people more speedily detect an angry face than a happy one
universal expressions
infants come equipped with seven naturally occurring emotions that are culturally universal
happiness
correlated with self-esteem, close friendships, satisfying marriage, etc.
fear
fear is adaptive; prepares our bodies to flee from danger
biologically predisposed to learn certain fears faster–snakes, spiders, etc.
anger
genders respond differently, chronic hostility is linked to heart disease
general adaptation syndrome
body’s adaptive response to stress in 3 phases
alarm
Sympathetic Nervous System begins activating in response to stressor
resistance
body’s resources mobilize to fight challenge
exhaustion
over extension of stress causes depletion of body’s reserves
social readjustment rating scale
a stressor survey created to determine how much stress an individual has faced
type A personality
people who are competitive, hard driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger prone
***often have more “negative emotions” which causes health detriments
Type B personality
people who are easygoing and relaxed
***typically experience better, but also accomplish less
coronary heart disease
because of the increase in stress in the average Americans lifestyle, it became the leading cause of death by the 1950s; remains so today
-stress and *health indicators
- pessimism
- learned helplessness
- higher socioeconomic status
- high social support
- laughing
- owners of pets
- DNA shortens and decays
aerobic exercise
has been shown to be one of the best ways to manage stress, depression, and anxiety
boosts immune system
clears your mind
meditation
has also been shown to decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen consumption
biofeedback
(a system for electronically feeding back information regarding physiological states) can help people monitor and control their stress
alternative medicines
acupuncture
massage therapy
aromatherapy
***inconclusive evidence
