Psychology and Sociology: Chapter 5 Flashcards
Motivation
the purpose, or driving force, behind our actions
Extrinsic motivation
external forces that are coming from outside oneself, that is creating motivation
Intrinsic motivation
motivation that comes from within oneself
Instincts
innate, fixed patterns of behavior
Instinct theory
-certain behaviors are based on evolutionary programmed instincts
-Humans are motivated by many instincts
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
Arousal
-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
Yerkes-Dodson Law
-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
Drives
-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
Primary drives
motivate us to sustain bodily processes in homeostasis; need for food, water, and warmth
Secondary drives
-additional drives that are not directly related to biological processes
-these drives are thought to stem from learning
Drive reduction theory
motivation is based on the goal of eliminating uncomfortable states
Primary needs
generally physiological needs such as the need for food, water, sleep, and shelter
Secondary needs
generally mental states, like a desire for power, achievement, or social belonging
Needs
relatively long-lasting feelings that require relief or satisfaction and tend to influence action
Maslow’s hierarchy of need
-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
Self-Determination theory (SDT)
-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
Incentive theory
explains that behavior is motivated not be need or arousal, but by the desire to pursue rewards and to avoid punishments
Expectancy value theory
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
Opponent-Process theory
-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
Sexual motivation
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
Emotion
A natural instinctive state of mind derived from one’s circumstances, mood, or relationship with others
Physiological response (element of emotion)
-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
Behavioral response (element of emotion)
Behavioral component includes facial expressions and body language
Cognitive response (element of emotion)
-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
7 Universal facially expressed emotions
happiness, sadness, contempt, surprise, fear, disgust, and anger
Evolutionary perspective of emotion
-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
James-Lang Theory of emotion
-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)
Cannon-Bard Theory of emotion
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)
Schachter-Singer Theory of emotion
-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
Stress
Response (physical, behavioral, emotional, cognitive) to challenging events
Cognitive appraisal of stress
the subjective evaluation of a situation that induces stress
Stage 1: Primary appraisal (cognitive appraisal)
initial evaluation of the environment and the associated threat
Stage 2: Secondary appraisal (cognitive appraisal)
-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
Stressor
a biological element, external condition, or event that leads to a stress response
Distress
occurs when a stressor is perceived as unpleasant
Eustress
the result of a positively-perceived stressor
3 Stages of General Adaptation Syndrome
- Alarm: activation of sympathetic nervous system, cortisol is produced which maintains steady supply of blood sugar, epinephrine and norepinephrine are secreted
- Resistance: the continuous release of hormones allows the sympathetic nervous system to remain engaged to fight the stressor
- Exhaustion: body can no longer maintain elevated response, individuals become more susceptible to illness and medical conditions
