Unit X Motivation

Motivational Basics  Motivation: A need or desire that energizes behavior and directs it toward a goal.  127 Hours  N vs. N  Four basic theories:  Instincts and evolution  Drive-reduction theory  Arousal theory  Self-Actualization

Instincts and Evolution  Charles Darwin’s influence  Attributes of instincts  Human examples  Criticisms of instinctive explanations Instinctual Motivation: The idea that pre- programmed behavioral responses drive and focus behavior.

Drive-Reduction Theory  What is a drive?  Drive-reduction theory  Drives vs. instincts  Homeostasis  Incentives  Limits of D-R theory Drive: A psychologically compulsion that motivates behavior. Drive-Reduction Theory: Physiological needs create psychological drives that compel an organism to satisfy that need.

Arousal Theory  Not all motivated behaviors simply satisfy needs  Arousal theory  Examples  Distinction between arousal theory and drive-reduction theory  Yerkes-Dodson law  Optimum arousal (a psychological homeostasis?) Arousal Theory: Humans are motivated by a desire to maintain a certain level of emotional, cognitive and physical activity.

The Hierarchy of Needs  D-R and Arousal theory work well in an assembly-line, one need at a time world.  Hierarchy of Needs  Abraham Maslow  Key concepts  Criticisms of H of N  The 2010 (r)evolutionary update

Hunger o Ancel Keys experiment o Hunger, signal detection theory and state-dependent memory

Physiology of Hunger  The stomach, set(tling) point and basal metabolic rate  Brain chemistry  Lateral + and Ventromedial - Hypothalamus  Orexin +  Body Chemistry  Glucose and Insulin - pancreas  Grehlin + – empty stomach  Obestatin - - full stomach  PYY - - intestines  Leptin - - fat cells

Psychology of Hunger  Taste preferences (remember umami?)  Social factors  Social facilitation  Unit bias  Eating Disorders  Anorexia nervosa  Bulimia nervosa  Binge-eating disorder  Risk factors and gender differences

Obesity and Weight Control  Statistics  Risks  Health factors  Social factors  Physiology of obesity  Fat and metabolism  Genetic factors  Environmental factors  Losing weight

Sexual Motivation There may be some awkward moments ahead…

Physiology of Sex  Alfred Kinsey  Masters and Johnson research  The sexual response cycle  Excitement  Plateau  Orgasm  Refractory period (resolution phase)  Sexual disorders – psychological and physiological  Gender differences

Hormones and Sexual Behavior  Sex hormones  Estrogens: Estradiol, Estriol, and Estrone  Androgens: Testosterone, DHT, and androstenedione  Hormones and Behavior  Female behavior  Male behavior Sex hormones direct the development of gender specific traits and motivate sexual behavior.

The Psychology of Sex  Needs vs. wants (Drive –reduction vs. arousal theory)  Environmental factors  Gender differences  Habituation and social change  Negative expectation effects  Cognitive factors  Sex and the brain  Sexual fantasies

Adolescents Risks and Sex  Perception vs. Reality  Risk factors for unplanned pregnancy  Ignorance  Minimal communication  Guilt  Alcohol and drug use  Cultural norms (related to communication)  STDs aka STIs  Statistics  Factors in safety: Intelligence, religion, paternal involvement, community service

Sexual Orientation  Sexual behavior vs. Sexual orientation  Statistics on orientation and behavior  Sexual orientation and mental health  Changing sexual orientation  Origins of sexual orientation  Common misconceptions  The fraternal birth-order effect  Biology and sexual orientation  Brain, genes and prenatal hormones  Sex and Human values

Social Motivations No man (or woman) is an island, after all…

The Need to Belong  Social motivation  Evolution and survival  The desire to belong  Relationships, autonomy and competence  Sustaining relationships  Examples  Ostracism  Cyber-ostracism

Motivation and Work  While relationships help us fulfill the psychological drive for relationships, we also have drives for autonomy and competence – and work helps fulfill these drives.  Job vs. career vs. calling  Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi– “Flow – the Psychology of Optimal Experience”  Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation  The changing role of work  I/O Psychology: Human factors, personnel and organizational sub-types

Personnel Psychology  Placement practices  Interviews  Interviewer illusion  Structured interviews  Evaluating performance  Importance of evaluation  Methods  Halo effect  Leniency and severity  Recency errors Personnel psychology is primarily interested in studying employee recruitment, hiring, placement, training, and assessment.

Organizational Psychology  Achievement motivation  Self-discipline and talent  The 10-year rule  Job Satisfaction and Engagement  Increasing S and E  Managing Well  Motivating strengths  Task leadership vs. social leadership  The voice effect  “Visioning” and work culture Organizational psychology is primarily interested in studying the relationship between the structure of organizations and the people within them.