Unit 1: Concepts

Question 1

Outline Heckhausen & Rheinberg’s Framework of motivation

Answer 1

Motivation is determined by an interaction between internal motives (needs, cognitions and emotions) and external events/social context. Motivation directs behaviour

Question 2

What are the 3 domains of needs

Answer 2

Physiological: biological (thirst, hunger, sex)
Psychological: autonomy, competences, relatedness
Social: achievement, affiliation, intimacy & power)

Question 3

What are the 4 main measurable expressions of motivation

Answer 3

Behaviour
Engagement
Brain & physiological activations
Self-report

Question 4

Examples of behavioural expressions of motivation?

Answer 4

attention
effort
latency
persistence
choice
probability of response
facial expressions
body language

Question 5

4 aspects of engagements as a measure of motivation

Answer 5

Behavioural Eng: effort, persistence
Emotional Eng: interest, enjoyment, enthusiasm, distress, anxiety
Cognitive eng: learning strategies, seeking understanding, active self-regulation
Agency: active involvement (make suggestions, contributions, ask questions etc)

Question 6

6 types of brain & physiological activity that can be a measure of motivation?

Answer 6

Brain activity: activation of structures (amygdala, prefrontal cort)

Hormonal acti: Chemicals (cortisol; stress, catecholamines; fight/flight) in saliva/blood

Cardiovascular activity:

Ocular activity: eye bhvr - pupil size, blinking, eye movement

Electrodermal activity: electrical changes on skin surface

Skeletal act: muscular act, facial exp, body gestures

Question 7

Outline self report as a measure of motivation (including limitations)

Answer 7

Interviews, questionnaires
- access dimensions, goals, expectations, values, beliefs, converns
- objective data
- easy to administer

LIMITATIONS
- not correspond between what people say and do
- social desirability
- sometimes motives not clear to dubjects
- closed answers

Question 8

What are the 5 ways emotions can present themselves

Answer 8

Cognition
Bodily arousal
Action-tendency: goal bhvr
Expression: facial, focal, communication
Feeling

Question 9

What are the 4 dimensions of emotions and how are they analysed

Answer 9

Subjective: feelings (A: self report)

Biological: body arousal; hormones, phsyioloigcal (A: Autonomic NS measures e.g. EEG, fMri, PET)

Purposeful: sense of purpose (A: questionnaires; coping strategies)

Expressive; social expressive, facial exp, vocal (A: observe body bhvr, facial bhvr, vocal)

Question 10

What is affect?

Answer 10

engagement;
positive = reward driven, keen motiv system
Negative = punsihment driven, aversive motiv. system

Question 11

What is sensation?

Answer 11

Stimulus corrects internal trouble - a pleasant subjective feeling

Question 12

What is feeling?

Answer 12

a part of emotion, conscious & subjective, helps us to understand an emotion

Question 13

what is affective style?

Answer 13

inter-individual difference in sensitivty to and regulation of emtoions
Can influence the experience and expression of emotions

Question 14

What is emotion?

Answer 14

Emerges from life events and appraisal of significance to wellbeing
influences bhvr
Multicomponent response tendences (feeling, body arousal, social expression & purpose)

Question 15

What are some ways of measuring emotion? (4 ways)

Answer 15

Self-report (sensitive to subjectivity, social desirability etc)

Autonomic NS measures: electrodermal (sweat glands) cardiovascular (not directly applicable to emotions but can indicate).

Brain states: EEG + neuroimaging - LH activ = approacch state, RH activ = avoidance

Behaviour: Vocal pitch (high = arousal; fear, joy, anger: Low = low arousal; sadness) & facial bhvr

Question 16

What are the adaptive functions of MOTIVATION?

Answer 16

Guides & directs bhvr to achieve goals
M imposes priority in thinking, feeling, behaving
Avoidance-based motives & approach based motives

Question 17

What are the adaptive functions of emotions?

Answer 17

Coping (adapting to life events): more emotions = more learning = more effective coping

Social (improve soc interaction): faciliates relationships, communicate feelings, invite and faciliate soc. interactions

EMOTIONS REGULATE BEHAVIOUR

Question 18

what are the adpative functions of surprise, disgust, happiness, fear, rage & sadness?

Answer 18

Surprise > exploration
Disgust > rejection
Happiness > affiliation (belonging)
Fear > protection
Rage > self-defence
Sadness > reintegration

Question 19

How do motivation and emotion direct attention?

Answer 19

environmental event > aroused motive > motive-related course of action

Question 20

Where does motivation originate?

Answer 20

Subcortical brain (implicit motives, unconscious ; hunger, mood)
Cortical brain (explicit M; goals, values, self)

Question 21

How is motivation impacted by environmental conditions?

Answer 21

Supportive environment –> positive functioning
Neglectful, thwarting environemnt > dysfunction

Question 22

What is the cortical brain’s role in M+E?

Answer 22

It is the conscious brain; responsible for consciously determines goals, plans, strategies, values and beliefs about self.
This area engages in conscious mental processes; self-control, resisting temptation, decision making, assessing risk, self-regulation

Question 23

What is the subcortical brain’s role in M+E?

Answer 23

Subconscious motivations such as hunger, thirst, anger, fear, anxiety, pleasure, desire, reward and wanting

Question 24

What are the 6 subcortical brain structures associated with M+E? (BRAVSH)

Answer 24

B asal ganglia: movement/action

R eticular formation: arousal, alertness, wakefulness

A mygdala: detects, learns and responds to environmental objects

V entral Tegmental Area: begining of dopamine-reward circuit

S triatum & nucleus accumbens: Reward centre (dopamine)

H ypothalamus: responds to natural rewards (eating, drinking, mating; regulate endocrine & ANS

Question 25

what are the 6 cortical brain structures assoc with M+E? (DOPAVI)

Answer 25

Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cort: Controls urges/risks in pursuit of LT goals learnt emotional value of environmental events

Orbitofrontal cortex: reward-related value of env. objects/events to form preferences/make choices

Prefrontal cort: plans, goal setting, intention. RH = avoidance, LH = approach motiv.

Anterior cingulate cort: motiv. conflicts resolved.

Ventromedial Prefrontal Cort: emotional control

Insula (r cortex): gut feelings, empathy, intrinsic motiv, risk, pain etc.

Question 26

Outline the dopamine reward circuit and the brain areas involved

Answer 26

Amygdala: detects and learns about rewards and the beneficial properties of different env. objects

Process:
Ventral tegmental area: manufactures dopamine. Releases dopamine when receives info from the nucleus accumbens

Ventral striatus & nucleus accumbens activated simultanesouly with reward.

After this, the reward experience is translated into motiv. force (e.g. approach bhvr)

Question 27

What is a neurotransmitter pathway?

Answer 27

cluster of neurons that communicate with other neurons using a shared neurotransmitter

Question 28

what are 4 main NT pathways?

Answer 28

dopamine
serotonin
norepinephrine
epinephrine

Question 29

What are 3 main hormones in M+E?

Answer 29

Cortisol- stress
testosteron - sex
oxytocin - bonding