Motivation, Emotion, and Stress Flashcards
Instincts
innate, fixed patterns of behavior in response to stimuli
instinct theory of motivation
people are driven to do certain behaviors based on evolutionarily programmed instincts
arousal
psychological and physiological state of being awake and reactive to stimuli
arousal theory
people perform actions in order to maintain an optimal level of arousal: seeking to increase arousal when it falls below their optimal level, and to decrease arousal when it rises above their optimum level
Yerkes-Dodson Law
U-shaped function between the level of arousal, performance is worst at extremely high and low levels of arousal and optimal at some intermediate level
Who has lower levels of monoamine oxidase (MAO)?
adrenaline junkies, MAO breaks down catecholamines, results in higher neurotransmitter levels
drives
internal states of tension that activate particular behavior focused on goals
primary drives
need for food, water, warmth–> motivate us to maintain homeostasis
secondary drives
not directly related to biological processes, ex. drive to matriculate into medical school and become a doctor
Drive reduction theory
motivation is based on the goal of eliminating uncomfortable states
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Highest–> Lowest
- Self-actualization
- Esteem
- Love/belonging
- Safety
- Physiological
Self-Determination Theory (SDT)
- autonomy- need to be in control of one’s actions
- competence- need to be complete and excel at difficult tasks
- relatedness- need to feel accepted and wanted in relationships
- all three needs must be met to develop healthy relationships with oneself and others
Incentive theory
behavior is motivated by desire to pursue rewards and to avoid punishments
Expectancy-value theory
amount of motivation needed to reach a goal is the result of both the individual’s expectation of success in reaching the goal and the degree to which he or she values succeeding at the goal
opponent process theory
when a drug is taken repeatedly, the body will attempt to counteract the effects of the drug by changing its physiology. Ex. the body will respond to continued alcohol use of alcohol, a depressant, by increasing arousal
explains tolerance: a decrease in perceived drug effect over time
Kinsey Scale
0-6, 0 very straight; 6 very gay
7 universal emotions?
happiness, sadness, contempt, surprise, fear, disgust, anger
First a physiological arousal, which leads to a secondary response in which the emotion is labeled
James-Lange theory of emotion
ex. i must be angry bc my skin is hot and my blood pressure is high
Physiological arousal and feeling an emotion occur at the same time
A person will respond with an action after experiencing the emotion both mentally and physically
Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion
ex. i am afraid bc i see a snake and my heart is racing
Vagus nerve
a cranial nerve that serves as a feedback system, conveying information from the peripheral organs back to the central nervous system
First Response: nervous system arousal and cognitive appraisal
Second Response: Conscious emotion
Schachter-Singer Theory, also termed cognitive arousal theory or the two-factor theory
Ex. I am excited because my heart is racing and everyone else is happy
Limbic System?
Complex set of structures the reside below the cerebrum on either side of the thalamus
made up of amydala, thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, and fornix, septal nuclei, and parts of the cerebral cortex
role in motivation and emotion
amygdala
associated with fear, plays a role in human emotion through interpretation of facial expressions
rats with damaged amygdalae can’t be classically conditioned to establish new fears
thalamus
preliminary sensory processing station and routes information to the cortex and other appropriate areas of the brain
Hypothalamus
located below the thalamus, synthesizes and releases a variety of neurotransmitters, helps with homeostasis
Hippocampus
in the temporal lobe, primarily involved in creating long-term memories; aids in creating context for stimuli to lead to an emotional experience
unconscious (implicit) memory
emotional memory, storage of the actual feelings of emotion associated with an event; when experiencing a similar event later on, these emotions may be retrieved
prefrontal cortex
associated with planning intricate cognitive functions, expressing personality, and making decisions
dorsal prefrontal cortex
associated with attention and cognition
ventral prefrontal cortex
connects with regions of the brain responsible for experiencing emotion
ventromedial prefrontal cortex
plays a substantial role in decision making and controlling emotional responses from the amygdala
autonomic nervous system
related to emotion, heart rate can determine emotion, diastolic BP is increased with anger, then fear, sadness, and happiness
cognitive appraisal?
the subjective evaluation of a situation that induces stress
primary appraisal- initial evaluation of the environment and associated threat
secondary appraisal- directed at evaluating whether the organism can cope with the stress
primary apprisal
initial evaluation of the environment and associated threat
secondary apprisal
directed at evaluating whether the organism can cope with stress
stress level can be measured in “life change units” in a system called the
social readjustment rating scale
eustress
stress due to positive life changes, ex. graduation
distress
stress due to unpleasant stressors, ex. lose your job
General adaption syndrome
- Alarm - initial reaction and activation of the sympathetic nervous system; hypothalamus tell anterior pituitary to release ACTH, stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol
- resistance- continuous release of hormones allows the sympathetic nervous system to remain engaged to fight the stressor
- exhaustion- body can no longer maintain the elevated response with the sympathetic nervous system activity
