Week 17: Motivation and Emotion Flashcards
What are drive states?
Affective experiences that motivate organisms to fulfill goals beneficial to survival and reproduction.
What is the primary biological goal accomplished by drive states?
To fulfill physiological needs that maintain homeostasis.
Give examples of drive states.
- Hunger
- Thirst
- Sexual arousal
What is homeostasis?
The tendency of an organism to maintain stability across various physiological systems.
What are the two key factors that maintain homeostasis?
- Monitoring the state of the system
- Mechanisms for restoring the set point
True or False: Drive states can only be triggered by internal cues.
False
How do drive states affect attention?
They narrow attention towards elements and activities that satisfy biological needs.
What happens to attention towards non-essential outcomes during intense drive states?
Non-essential outcomes lose their value.
Fill in the blank: The narrowing of attention during drive states often leads to __________ toward the present.
impatience
What is satiation?
The decline of hunger and the eventual termination of eating behavior.
What part of the brain is primarily responsible for hunger?
Lateral hypothalamus (LH)
What role does the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) play?
It is involved in satiety and termination of eating.
True or False: Hunger and satiation are controlled by the same circuits in the brain.
False
What triggers hunger?
Low glucose levels in the blood and various internal and external cues.
What is the reward value of food influenced by?
The level of hunger experienced by the organism.
What is sexual arousal?
A drive state resulting in thoughts and behaviors related to sexual activity.
Which brain region is primarily associated with male sexual arousal?
Preoptic area of the anterior hypothalamus.
What role does the ventromedial hypothalamus play in female sexual arousal?
It regulates sexual receptivity through the excretion of estradiol.
Fill in the blank: Drive states can lead to __________ behavior, undermining altruism.
selfish
What physiological effect does hunger have on the cognitive process?
It directs attention and influences psychological processes like perception and motivation.
What is the relationship between hunger and the sensory cortices?
Sensory cortices help identify food items but do not provide hedonic evaluations.
What happens to the desirability of food when the lateral hypothalamus is stimulated?
Desirability of food increases, and non-food-related items decrease in value.
What hormone is regulated by neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus that influences sexual receptivity?
Estradiol
Estradiol is an estrogen hormone that plays a significant role in female sexual behavior.
What behavior is initiated during sexual arousal in females due to weakened defensive responses?
Lordosis behavior
Lordosis is a physical sexual posture that serves as an invitation to mate.