Unit 3: Assessment of motivated behaviour Flashcards
Which levels of complexity/ planes of analysis are there to measure motivation?
Physiological
Individual
Social
Philosophical
What are motivation measurement techniques based on?
Measurement of:
- observable behaviour
- physiological responses
- subjective states (self-report)
What can the motivational process be infered from?
publicly reported behaviour (observable)
How do we measure observable behaviours? (types)
Frequency: Response rate
Accuracy: Number of successes/misses/attempts
Election: Actions of free choice
Temporary: Response time, persistency, effort
What are limitations for measuring observable behaviour?
Variability of response time
Differentiating errors from successes
What are possible solutions to the limitations of measuring observable behaviour?
Providing clear instructions
Schedule practice/ familiarization trials
use designs in which subjects are in their own control
Whats the difference between Physiological psychology and Psychophysiology?
Physiological psychology: animals, conduct
Psychophysiology: Humans, physiological responses
What are SNA measures and which types of trials are there?
measure electrodermal activity: reflects functioning of endocrine sweat glands
Exosomatic: with external electrical stimulus
endosomatic: without external electrical stimulus
Cardiovascular measures
Heart rate: number of cardiac contractions/minute (ECG) varies within respiratory cycle
Bloodflow: Dilation/Contraction of blood vessels
Blood pressure: Diastolic/ systolic
What are the limitations of measuring physiological responses?
measures motivational process indirectly
indices of various psychological responses
questionable significance
What are possible solutions to the limitations of physiological measurement?
Using more than one psychophysiological measure
continuous measurement
What is used to measure subjective states and what are some characteristics of that technique?
Self-reporting
-> older procedure
-> useful for assessing aspects of life that are unknown or cant be directly manipulated
-> evaluate general repertoires of motives
What exactly is a self-report?
standardised technique by which subject reports on own activity
Which study purposes have self-reports been used for?
analyse and identify basic motives and motivational structures shared by all human beings
check how situational variables and motivational dispositions influence individual and subject environment interaction
Analysing whether variables vary together to predict/ test models
-> mediation and causality
What are limitations of measuring subjective states?
Limited validity
Social desirability and self deception
Test characteristics