1. Motivation
Great
Motivational Video

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

3. 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

4. What methods does our Educational System use to motivate students?

5. 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)

6. 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)

7. 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.

8. 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

9. 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).

10. 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

11. 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

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

13. 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).

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

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

16. 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)

17. 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!

18. 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.

19. 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!

20. Sex
Sexual Orientation