Psychology: Chapter 11, Motivation PDF

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Psychology: Chapter 11, Motivation...

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Psychology: Chapter 11, Motivation

Shelby Gilmer

Psychology: Chapter 11, Motivation ● Motivation- a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior. ● There are four perspectives of motivation: ○ Instinct theory- (now replaced by evolutionary perspective) focuses on genetically predisposed behaviors ○ Drive-reduction theory- focuses on how we respond to our inner pushes ○ Arousal theory- focuses on finding the right level of stimulation. ○ Hierarchy of needs- focuses on the priority of some needs over others ● Instinct- a complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned ● Many behaviors are directed by both physiological needs and psychological wants ● Physiological need- a basic bodily requirement ● Drive-reduction theory- the idea that a physiological need creates an aroused state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need ● Homeostasis- a tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level ● Incentive- a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior ● When there is both a need and an incentive, we feel strongly driven ● Some motivated behaviors actually increase rather than decrease arousal ● Yerkes- Dodson law- the principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases ● Hierarchy of needs- Maslow’s pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied before higher-level safety needs and then psychological needs become active ● Marslow proposed that some people also reach a level of self-transcendence ○ At the self actualization level, people seek to realize their own potential ○ At the self-transcendence level, people strive for meaning, purpose, and communion in a way that is transpersonal- beyond the self ● Order of Maslow;s hierarchy is not universally fixed ○ Ex people have starved themselves to make a political statement 1

Psychology: Chapter 11, Motivation

Shelby Gilmer

● Culture influences our priorities ● Classic motivation theories: ○ Instinct theory/ evolutionary psychology- There is a genetic basis for unlearned, species typical behavior (such as birds building nests) ○ Drive-reduction theory- physiological needs (such as hunger and thirst) create an aroused state that drives us to reduce the need (for example, eating or drinking) ○ Arousal theory- Our need to maintain an optimal level of arousal motivates behaviors that meet no physiological need (such as yearning for stimulation and our hunger for information) ○ Maslow’s hierarchy of needs- we prioritize survival-based needs and then social needs more than the needs for esteem and meaning. ● After hours of driving alone in an unfamiliar city, you finally see a diner. Although it looks deserted and a little creepy, you stop because you are really hungry and thirsty. According to Maslow, our drive to meet the physiological needs of hunger and thirst takes priority over our safety needs, prompting us to take risks at times. ● Glucose- the form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major source of energy for body tissues. When it is low, we feel hunger. ● The arcuate nucleus (a neural arc) has a center that secretes appetite-stimulating hormones. ● The hypothalamus is also responsible for monitoring appetite hormones, such as ghrelin, a hunger arousing hormone secreted by an empty stomach ○ Other appetite hormones are leptin, orexin, and PYY ● Increases appetite: ○ Ghrelin: hormone secreted by an empty stomach ○ Orexin: hunger triggering hormone secreted by hypothalamus ● Decreases appetite: ○ Insulin: hormone secreted by pancreas; controls blood glucose ○ Leptin: protein hormone secreted by fat cells; when abundant, causes brain to decrease metabolism and decrease hunger

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Psychology: Chapter 11, Motivation

Shelby Gilmer

○ PYY: Digestive tract hormone, sends the “I’m not hungry” signal to the brain. ● Set point- the point at which your “weight thermostat” may be set. When your body falls below this weight, increased hunger and a lowered metabolic weight may combine to restore lost weight. ● Basal metabolic rate- the body;s resting rate if energy output ● Hunger occurs in response to low blood glucose and high levels of ghrelin ● Knowing when to eat is our memory of our last meal ● Carbohydrates boost the neurotransmitter serotonin which has calming effects- so when stressed we find it extra rewarding to eat carbs ● Neophobia is a dislike of unfamiliar things ● Situations also control our eating- a phenomenon called the ecology of eating. ○ Arousing appetite: ex double snacking in an action movie ○ Friends and food: The presence of others tends to amplify our natural behavioral tendencies ○ Serving size is significant: people eat a lot more when given a bigger plate ○ Selections stimulate: food variety also stimulates eating ○ Nudging nutrition: exposing yourself to more of a certain kind of food, like putting the fruits and veggies before the ice cream increases your chances of eating the healthy foods ● Obesity- defined as a body mass index (BMI) measurement of 30 or higher. (overweight individuals have a BMI of 25 or higher). ● Two people can have the same height, age, and activity level even if one of them eats much less than the other because genetically influenced setting points, metabolism and other factors influence the way our bodies burn calories. Sleep deprivation, which makes us more vulnerable to weight gain also factors in. ● Affiliation need- the need to build relationships and to feel part of a group ● Social bonds boosted our early ancestors’ chance of survival ● Cooperation also enhanced survival

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Psychology: Chapter 11, Motivation

Shelby Gilmer

● When we satisfy our need for relatedness in balance with two other basic psychological needs- autonomy (a sense of personal control) and competence- we experience a deep sense of well being, our performance improves and our self esteem rides high ● Feelings of love activate brain reward and safety systems ● Divorce predicts early mortality ● Social isolation can put us at risk for mental decline and ill health ● Ostracism- deliberate social exclusion of individuals or groups ● We seem to experience social pain with the same emotional unpleasantness that marks physical pain ● Narcissism- excessive self-love and self-absorption ● Social networking tends to strengthen your relationships with people you already know and increase your self disclosure. ● Achievement motivation- a desire for significant accomplishment for mastery of skills or ideas; for control; and attaining a high standard. ● Grit- in psychology, passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals. ● Although intelligence is distributed like a bell curve, achievements aren’t ● Researchers found that self-discipline (grit) is an even better predictor of school performance than intelligence

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