Motivation Great Motivational Video

Motivation: What Makes Us Act as We Do? Motivation – All processes involved in starting, directing, and maintaining physical and psychological activities

How Psychologists Use the Concept of Motivation Connects observable behavior to internal states Accounts for variability in behavior Explains perseverance despite adversity Relates biology to behavior

What methods does our Educational System use to motivate students?

Drive Reduction Theory Physiological Needs Food, Water, Sleep, etc. Internal Drives Hunger, Thirst, Tiredness, etc. Drive Reduction Theory Hypothalamus Homeostasis Process of maintaining a constant internal state. * Motivation comes from our desire to Reduce these Drives through meeting our needs. Primary Drives=Biological needs Secondary Drives=Learned Drives ($ can be used to purchase food)

Problem with Drive Reduction Theory Only sees behavior as motivated by biological needs! Doesn’t explain: Desire to ride roller coasters. Desire to go fast. Desire to take risks (Skydiving)

Optimum Arousal Theory People are motivated to maintain a certain degree or optimum (ideal) level of arousal (excitement) Boring Day=Motivation to do something exciting at night Boredom is caused by activities without enough excitement. People stop an activity if over-aroused (“Too much to handle”) Thrill seekers have a higher biological need for arousal than most people.

Yerkes-Dodson Law (the Inverted “U”) Low and high levels of arousal produce lower performance than moderate arousal Yerkes-Dodson Law (the Inverted “U”) Performance Low High Arousal Level

Extrinsic Motivation: Based on attaining outside, desirable factors. Motivation is the result of stimuli that either “push” us towards attaining something, or other stimuli that “pull” us away. Incentive Theory Extra Credit Extrinsic Motivation: Based on attaining outside, desirable factors. Intrinsic Motivation: Based on attaining internal personal satisfaction Detentions Religion? Some people run to beat other runners (extrinsic), while others compete to beat their previous best time (intrinsic).

Management Styles Theory X: Workers/Students are basically lazy & need to be extrinsically motivated. Theory Y: Workers/Students need to be challenged & allowed to focus on their intrinsic motivation RSA Animate: Motivation

Rewards Can Sometimes Squelch Motivation Overjustification Effect: The process by which extrinsic rewards can sometimes displace internal motivation, as when a child receives money for playing video games

Motivating Yourself Flow – An intense focus on an activity, accompanied by increased creativity and near-ecstatic feelings Involves intrinsic motivation

states that motivation is based on instincts, which are fixed, automatic, innate (born with) responses. These are not learned behaviors, but automatic responses to certain environmental cues. Evolutionary Psychologists Instinct Theory Example Geese fly south (response) for the winter in response to colder temperatures (environmental cue).

What did you do this morning before you came to school?

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Not all needs are created equal! Overcome Adversity

The more insulin, the less Glucose Hunger is caused by running low on Glucose (Sugar that is converted into fat by Insulin) Hunger Motivation Hypothalamus-Regulates Hunger The more insulin, the less Glucose Lateral Hypothalamus- Initiates Hunger (Stop eating if destroyed) Releases Oxerexin to cause hunger. Ventromedial Hypothalamus- Stops Hunger (Can’t stop eating if destroyed)

Hunger Motivation Leptin – Produced by bloated fat cells & sends long-term signals of satiation to brain. Explains why you feel full for a long time after a high-fat meal!

Hunger Motivation Set Point Theory- We have a biologically pre-set ideal weight. It is maintained by the basal metabolic rate. the rate at which your body conserves and burns off calories.

Obesity A BMI (Height & Weight) of over 30. Hard to keep weight off because fat cells don’t go away, they just get smaller in size with dieting!

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