TOPIC 11: Motivation and Emotion Flashcards
motivation:
an inferred process that causes an organism to move toward a goal
evolution/Instinct Theory:
- behaviours are governed by fixed action
patterns, which are not learned- cannot account for learned behaviours
Drive-Reduction Theory(Walter Cannon, 1932):
- Deprivation of biologically necessary stimulus creates a physiological need, so people are “pushed” toward a goal to restore balance
- Based onhomeostasis
- regulatory drives
- non-regulatory drives
homeostasis
body’s tendency to maintain a stable physiological state
regulatory drive
innate, unlearned drives that help to preserve homeostasis
e.g., hunger, thirst, salt, O2,
non regulatory drives
unrelated to homeostasis
Incentive Theory(Clark Hull, 1943; 1951):
- external stimulus “pulls” people toward a goal or reinforcement
e. g., the appetizer effect:
(influenced by many other factors including socialization and (perceived) time of day)
appetizer effect
sight or smell of food increases appetite
Arousal Theory(Marvin Zuckerman, 1994; 2007):
- developed scale measuring motivation for:
- most people seek a balance between familiarity and novelty
- but some people (sensation seekers) want toincreasetheir arousal
- may be a link between certain brain chemicals/gonadal hormones and thrill-seeking motivation
sensation seeking may help overcome low autonomic reactivity==> increasing brain activity to normal levels
the scale for motivation for :
- thrill- and adventure-seeking (activities involving speed and danger)
- experience seeking (new, unconventional experiences and people)
- disinhibition (lack of social and sexual restraint)
- boredom susceptibility (aversion to repetition and routine)
Cannon & Washburn (1912):
- Swallowed balloon to record stomach contractions
- Hunger pangs occurred during peak of contractions
Problem: people who have had their stomachs removed still feel hunger
Brain regions (Stellar, 1954):
Lateral hypothalamus = hunger switch?
- LH lesions==> animals starve (+ other behaviours decreased)
- lesions severed brainstem==>basal ganglia tract (motivation)
Ventromedial hypothalamus = full switch?
- VMH lesions==> gorging (+ other behavioural effects)
• lesions speeded digestion
• food stored as fat
• tissues still required fuel==> more eating
Prader-Willi Syndrome (Prader, Labhart, & Willi, 1956):
- chromosome 15 disorder; incidence: 9 per 100,000
- characteristics include cognitive impairment, behavioral problems, hyperphagia
- linked to abnormal hypothalamus
- complex interactions
complex interactions:
motivational brain regions work with incentives & action planning
Set-Point Theory(Nisbett, 1972):
body has homeostatic level for weight, which is based on:
• metabolism:
- Basal metabolic rate: energy expended at rest (genetically influenced) - thermogenesis: heat production e. g., voluntary activity/exercise e. g., brown adipose tissue (BAT): burns calories to generate body heat
- fat cells
- hormones
- insulin:
- leptin
- peptide YY3-36
- peptide YY3-36
may signal fullness: cut food intake by 33% (Batterham et al., 2002)
leptin
(protein secreted by fat cells which binds to VMH): decreases appetite and increases metabolism
Insulin
facilitates uptake of glucose into cells
fat cells
(may increase in size and number)
evidence for set-point theory
- yo-yo effect:
- Sims (1974):
yo-yo effect
once diet is over, people tend to return to their set-point
(unless metabolism, fat cells, or hormones changed)
Sims (1974):
- Baseline phase: each man ate his normal diet
- Adapting phase: men were given more calories (overfeeding)
- Test phase: went back to normal diet
- Baseline phase: each man ate his normal diet
- Participants were volunteers from Vermont State prison
- Had no family history of obesity
- Number of calories consumed was recorded for 6 weeks
- No weight gain
- Adapting phase: men were given more calories (overfeeding)
- men gained weight (up to 20% increase)
- took 4-6 months; some had to eat 10,000 calories/day