Psychology and Sociology: Chapter 5

Question 1

Motivation

Answer 1

the purpose, or driving force, behind our actions

Question 2

Extrinsic motivation

Answer 2

external forces that are coming from outside oneself, that is creating motivation

Question 3

Intrinsic motivation

Answer 3

motivation that comes from within oneself

Question 4

Instincts

Answer 4

innate, fixed patterns of behavior

Question 5

Instinct theory

Answer 5

-certain behaviors are based on evolutionary programmed instincts
-Humans are motivated by many instincts

Question 6

Arousal theory

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Arousal

Answer 7

-the psychological and physiological state of being awake and reactive to stimuli
- involves the brain stem, autonomic nervous system, and endocrine system and plays a vital role in behavior and cognition

Question 8

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Answer 8

-performance is worst at extremely high and low levels of arousal and optimal at some intermediate level
-postulates a U-shaped function between the level of arousal and performance

Question 9

Drives

Answer 9

-internal states of tension that activate particular behaviors focused on goals
-Thought to originate within an individual without requiring any external factors to motivate behavior
-Drives help humans survive by creating an uncomfortable state, ensuring motivation to eliminate this state or to relieve the internal tension created by unmet needs

Question 10

Primary drives

Answer 10

motivate us to sustain bodily processes in homeostasis; need for food, water, and warmth

Question 11

Secondary drives

Answer 11

-additional drives that are not directly related to biological processes
-these drives are thought to stem from learning

Question 12

Drive reduction theory

Answer 12

motivation is based on the goal of eliminating uncomfortable states

Question 13

Primary needs

Answer 13

generally physiological needs such as the need for food, water, sleep, and shelter

Question 14

Secondary needs

Answer 14

generally mental states, like a desire for power, achievement, or social belonging

Question 15

Needs

Answer 15

relatively long-lasting feelings that require relief or satisfaction and tend to influence action

Question 16

Maslow’s hierarchy of need

Answer 16

-classified needs into five groups, and assigned different levels of priority to each group
-Maslow theorized that if the lowest level of need is not met, motivation to meet that need will be the highest priority. Once the lowest level of needs is met, if additional needs exist, they will be satisfied based on priority

Question 17

Self-Determination theory (SDT)

Answer 17

-emphasizes the role of three universal needs
-Autonomy, the need to be in control of one’s actions and ideas
-Competence, the need to complete and excel at difficult tasks
-Relatedness, the need to feel accepted and wanted in relationships

Question 18

Incentive theory

Answer 18

explains that behavior is motivated not be need or arousal, but by the desire to pursue rewards and to avoid punishments

Question 19

Expectancy value theory

Answer 19

the 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 her or she values succeeding at the goal

Question 20

Opponent-Process theory

Answer 20

-when a drug is taken repeatedly, the body will attempt to counteract the effects of the drug by changing its physiology (withdrawal, tolerance)
-Motivations are considered destructive if they result in harm in oneself

Question 21

Sexual motivation

Answer 21

Physiologically, humans are motivated to sexual behavior based on the secretion of estrogens, progesterone, and androgens; there is a strong correlation between hormone concentration and sexual desire

Question 22

Emotion

Answer 22

A natural instinctive state of mind derived from one’s circumstances, mood, or relationship with others

Question 23

Physiological response (element of emotion)

Answer 23

-When a feeling is first experienced, arousal is stimulated by the autonomic nervous system
-Bodily changes in response: heart rate, breathing rate, skin temperature, and blood pressure

Question 24

Behavioral response (element of emotion)

Answer 24

Behavioral component includes facial expressions and body language

Question 25

Cognitive response (element of emotion)

Answer 25

-Cognitive components is the subjective interpretation of the feeling being experienced
-Determination of one’s emotion is an evaluative process largely based on memories of past experiences and perception of the cause of the emotion

Question 26

7 Universal facially expressed emotions

Answer 26

happiness, sadness, contempt, surprise, fear, disgust, and anger

Question 27

Evolutionary perspective of emotion

Answer 27

-everything we do, think, and feel is based on specialized functional programs designed for any problem we encounter
-Emotions are thought to be evolutionary adaptations due to situations encountered over the evolutionary history of the human species that guide sensory processing, physiological response, and behavior
-Different emotions were thought to evolve during different periods in history

Question 28

James-Lang Theory of emotion

Answer 28

-A stimulus results first in physiological arousal, which leads to a secondary response in which the emotion is labeled
-This theory predicts that individuals who cannot mount a sympathetic response, like patients with spinal cord injuries, should show decreased levels of emotion (this is false)

Question 29

Cannon-Bard Theory of emotion

Answer 29

The conscious experience of emotion and physiological arousal occur simultaneously, and then the behavioral component of emotion (i.e., action) follows (also a flawed theory)

Question 30

Schachter-Singer Theory of emotion

Answer 30

-Two factors (physiological arousal and a cognitive label) are needed to experience emotion
-According to this theory, physiological arousal alone is insufficient to elicit an emotional response; to feel an emotion, the mind must also identify the environmental stimulus causing the physiological arousal

Question 31

Stress

Answer 31

Response (physical, behavioral, emotional, cognitive) to challenging events

Question 32

Cognitive appraisal of stress

Answer 32

the subjective evaluation of a situation that induces stress

Question 33

Stage 1: Primary appraisal (cognitive appraisal)

Answer 33

initial evaluation of the environment and the associated threat

Question 34

Stage 2: Secondary appraisal (cognitive appraisal)

Answer 34

-directed at evaluating whether the organism can cope with the stress
-Evaluates 3 things: harm or damaged caused by event, threat or potential future damage caused by event, challenge or the potential to overcome and possibly benefit from the event

Question 35

Stressor

Answer 35

a biological element, external condition, or event that leads to a stress response

Question 36

Distress

Answer 36

occurs when a stressor is perceived as unpleasant

Question 37

Eustress

Answer 37

the result of a positively-perceived stressor

Question 38

3 Stages of General Adaptation Syndrome

Answer 38

1. Alarm: activation of sympathetic nervous system, cortisol is produced which maintains steady supply of blood sugar, epinephrine and norepinephrine are secreted
2. Resistance: the continuous release of hormones allows the sympathetic nervous system to remain engaged to fight the stressor
3. Exhaustion: body can no longer maintain elevated response, individuals become more susceptible to illness and medical conditions