Motivation and Emotion

Motivation internal processes that activate, guide, and maintain our behavior

Theories on Motivation Instinct Theory  Inborn behavior patterns that are characteristic of an entire species Drive Reduction Theory

Drive-Reduction Theory Activation of many different behaviors Biological Need (need for food, water, oxygen, etc.) Drive State (hunger, thirst, etc.) Behaviors that reduce drive are strengthened Behaviors that do not reduce drive are weakened

Theories of Motivation Instinct Theory Drive-Reduction Theory  Humans sometimes engage in behaviors that increase rather than reduce drives Arousal Theory  Motivated to be at optimal level of arousal

Yerkes-Dodson Law There is an optimal level of arousal for the best performance of any task.  The more complex the task, the lower the level of arousal that can be tolerated before performance deteriorates.

Theories of Motivation Incentive theories  Motivation  incentives/pay offs Cognitive approaches  thoughts, expectations, and goals  Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic motivation

Intrinsic motivation  A desire to perform a behavior originates within the individual Extrinsic motivation  A desire to perform a behavior to obtain an external reward or avoid punishment

Maslow’s Hierarchy

Identify the motive… Have I got a terrible headache. It’s really splitting. It gets lonely in my apartment on the weekends. My roommate goes to visit her parents and most of my neighbors are away too. I feel really bored by this course. It’s a lot like the one I took last year. I was hoping it would be more challenging.

Identify the motive… He really makes me furious. I’m tired of his put- downs! Who does he think he is anyway? Uh, listen, do you mind if we don’t go into that nightclub? I hear that some tough types hang out there and that someone got beaten up there last week. Hey, guess what? I just got an A+ on my term paper. Pretty good, eh?

Human Needs & Motivation Hunger and Thirst  stimulated by internal and external cues Hypothalamus (lateral and ventromedial) Blood levels  Glucose, fats, carbohydrates, insulin, leptin Cells in stomach and small intestine Sights and smells

Human Needs & Motivation Hunger & Thirst  Body Mass Index (BMI)  Stress

Eating Disorders Anorexia nervosa  A serious eating disorder that is associated with an intense fear of weight gain and a distorted body image Bulimia  An eating disorder characterized by binges of eating followed by self-induced purging

Eating Disorders Increased incidence in relatives Serotonin Perfectionism Dissatisfaction with body

Achievement Motivation nAch Desire to meet standards of excellence, to outperform others Huge individual differences Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Need for Affiliation Interest in establishing and maintaining relationships with others

Emotions Body Response (arousal) Expressive Reaction Subjective Experience

Emotions Primary emotions Secondary emotions

James-Lange Theory Certain stimuli in the environment can bring on physiological changes.  Emotions arise from our awareness of those changes. Facial feedback hypothesis

Neuroscience of Emotions Specific patterns of biological arousal associated with specific emotions PET scans Amygdale  link between perception of stimulus and recall of stimulus later

Communicating Emotions Voice Quality and Facial Expression Body language Personal space Explicit Acts

Gender and Emotion Research findings  Men and women may feel emotions similarly, but differ in how they are expressed.  Same situation may provoke different emotions.  Women are better at reading emotional cues than men.