Study unit 8.2 Motivation Flashcards
Motivation
Goal-directed behavior
Drive Theories
Walter Cannon observed that organism seek homeostasis. Apply the concept of homeostasis to behavior. When individuals experience a drive, they are motivated to pursue actions that will lead to drive reduction. Cannot explain all motivation.
Homeostasis
A state of physiological equilibrium or stability
Drive
Hypothetical, internal state of tension that motivates an organism to engage in activities that should reduce this tension. Tensions are disruptions of the preferred equilibrium.
Incentive
External goal that has the capacity to motivate behavior. Drive + incentive models of motivation contrasted as push vs pull.
Drive - internal states of tension push people in certain directions. Source of motivation within.
Incentive - external stimuli pull people in certain directions. Source of motivation outside
Evolutionary theories
Natural selection favors behaviors that maximize reproductive success. Motives such as affiliation, achievement, dominance, aggression, and sex drive explained in terms of adaptive value. Motives can best be understood in terms of the adaptive problems they have solved over the course of human history.
Walter Cannon & A.L. Washburn
There’s an association between stomach contractions and the experience of hunger. Cannon theorized that stomach contractions cause hunger, but it was discredited.
Brain regulation (hunger + eating)
Experience of hunger is controlled in the hypothalamus. Lateral + ventromedial areas are elements in the neural circuitry that regulates hunger. Arcuate nucleus + paraventricular nucleus - play a role in modulation of hunger. The neural circuits that pass through the hypothalamus depend on a large variety of neurotransmitters. The neural circuits regulating hunger are massively and reciprocally interconnected with extensive parallel processing and is sensitive to a diverse range of physiological processes.
Digestive + hormonal regulation (hunger + eating)
After food is consumed, the stomach can signal the brain to inhibit further eating - vagus nerve carries information about the stretching of the stomach walls. Other nerves carry messages about how rich in nutrients the contents of the stomach is.
When without food for a while, the stomach secretes ghrelin, causing stomach contractions. After food is consumed, the upper intestine releases CCK, reducing hunger.
Leptin contributes to long-term regulation of hunger, which is produced by the fat cells, providing the brain with information about fat stores. When high, propensity to feel hunger diminishes. When low, singnals arrriving in brain promote hunger.
Palatability (environmental variable)
Better food tastes, more they will consume
Quantity availability (environmental variable)
Consume what is in front of them
Variety (environmental variable)
Increase consumption, when a variety is available
Sensory-specific satiety
If only a few foods are available, the appeal of all of them can decline quickly
Presence of others (environmental variable)
Eat 44% more. Reciprocally adjust intake to same amount.
Stress (environmental variable)
Shift towards less healthy.
Exposure to food cues (environmental variable)
Exposure to cues that have been associated with food - advertisements, sight/smell.
Learned preferences + habits
Acquired through learned associations, classical conditioning.
Habits through observational learning. Matter of exposure, prefering familiar foods. Geographical, cultural, religious and ethnic factors limit people’s access to food.
Obesity
Condition of being overweight
BMI
weight (kg)/height (m) squared (kg/m2)
25-29.9 = overweight
30 and over = obese
Inadequate sleep (obesity)
Alter hormonal balance involved in regulating appetite, eating and satiety
Set point (obesity)
Homeostatic mechanisms defend weight loss. A constellation of metabolic and neuroendocrine processes work to resist weight loss.
Burn calories more slowly - energy expenditure decline
Reduced fat stores - reduced levels of leptin - fuel increased hunger
Set point - natural point of stability for weight, a narrow range of weight around that point
William Masters & Virginia Johnson
Detailed description of the human sexual response. Divided the sexual response cycle into four stages: excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution
Excitement phase
Level of physical arousal escalates rapidly. Muscle tension, respiration rate, heart rate, and blood pressure increase quickly.
Vasocongestion
Engorgement of blood vessels - produces penile erection and swollen testes in males
In females, swelling and hardening of the clitoris, expansion of the vaginal lips, and vaginal lubrication
