1. Ch. 8 Motivation and Emotion
Major Themes
This will help you fill in some of your guided reading notes.

2. Theories of Motivation

3. Evolutionary Theory
set the stage for psychology by establishing behavior as important and observable
subject to scientific scrutiny
emotions developed because of their adaptive value, allowing the organism to avoid danger and survive

4. Homeostasis (“pull theory”)
state of regulatory equilibrium
ideal internal state of balance
when balance of equilibrium shifts, we are “pulled” to balance it

5. Drive-Reduction Theory (“push theory”)
we have needs that must be fulfilled
motivation is result of organisms trying to reduce the drive
behavior originates from physiological needs (thirst, hunger, air)
behavior geared to reduce need or deficit (drink, eat, breath)
behaviors restore homeostasis

6. Incentive Motivation
theory suggests humans are pulled toward behaviors by rewards or incentives
motivation produced by need for goal attainment
intrinsic: motivators originating from within ourselves
extrinsic: motivators coming from the outside world
Examples????

7. Maslow’s Hierarchy You’ve studied this in previous units.
We’ll have an activity on this later in the week.

8. Arousal Theory (Yerkes – Dodson Law/ Inverted U)
optimum level of arousal at which performance of a given task is optimal
each person has his/her own sense of appropriate arousal and acts in ways to remain at a comfortable arousal level
Yerkes-Dodson Law: prediction about relationship b/t arousal levels and performance, suggests there is an interaction b/t aroused states, the difficulty of the task to be carried out and eventual performance on task
Examples…
Sports vs Academic situations
Differences in same sports

9. Motivation of Behaviors
Eating & Sex

10. Eating (Biological factors)
Serotonin
neurotransmitter associated w/ arousal, sleep, appetite, moods, and emotions
Lack of associated with depression
Hypothalamus
area controlling feeding
if ventromedial hypothalamus is lesioned, the animal eats constantly
if lateral hypothalamus is damaged, then the animal stops eating and starves to death (LAT MAKES YOU FAT!)

11. How much should we eat? Set Point
brain and endocrine system act like a thermostat
temp becomes too cold: signal sent to turn heater on
when set point is reached, heat shuts off
if it gets too hot, the thermostat turns on the cooling system
Our appetite and weight are viewed the same way.
Hypothalamus and Serotonin are activated at levels designed for each individual.

12. Factors of weight Culture: Media External Internal: hypothalamus
Create “ideals” of beauty
External
school bell rings signaling it is time for lunch
Classical Conditioning
food is readily available (home, vending machines, stores, restaurants.)
Internal: hypothalamus

13. Eating Disorders anorexia nervosa bulimia nervosa
eating disorder characterized by a weight of less than 85% of normal
abnormally restrictive food consumption
unrealistic body image
bulimia nervosa
eating disorder characterized by a pattern of eating binges involving intake of thousands of calories
Followed by purging
either vomiting or laxative

14. Psychology of Sexual Motivation

15. sexual response cycle Studied by Masters & Johnson
Excitement = sexual arousal
plateau: increased breathing rate, muscle tension, <3 rate and BP
orgasm: ejaculation in males and pleasurable sensations induced by rhythmic muscle contractions in both sexes
resolution: blood leaves the genitals, sexual arousal lessens
refractory period: in most males, another erection or orgasm is not achieved, women are capable of multiple orgasms

16. sexual orientation
one’s degree of emotional and erotic attraction to members of the same gender, opposite gender, or both genders
heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual
30-70% genetic
if one identical twin is homosexual/bisexual, a 50% chance the other twin is, too
heredity shapes areas of brain that orchestrate sexual behavior
sexual orientation influenced by gene found on X chromosome
nature & learning
Studied extensively by Alfred Kinsey at IU.

17. Emotions

18. Culturally Universal Expressions of Emotions
Paul Elkman found that individuals in all cultures tend to recognize and express the major basic emotions in the same way in terms of facial expression
(fear, happiness, surprise, etc.)
Theorized some kinds of emotional response are inborn in humans

19. James – Lange Theory
Emotions are a result of physiological reactions to events.
Your emotions are dependent on how you interpret the physical reactions.
In other words…
Don’t smile because your happy, you feel happy because you smile
Example in steps…
Event – See a bear
Reaction - tremble
Interpretation – tremble = fear
Emotion – I’m scared!

20. Cannon – bard Theory Main Idea Explanations
Emotion and physiological arousal happen at the same time. One does not cause the other.
Explanations
Physiological reactions happen to slowly to cause emotions.
I.E. – alone in a dark room/alley
People can experience physiological arousal w/o emotion.
I.E. – Running
Different emotions can have same physiological arousal.
I.E. – Increased HR, could be anger, afraid, or excited!

21. Schachter & Singer 2 Factor Theory
Emotion depends on 2 factors
Physiological Arousal
Cognitive interpretation of the arousal
When we perceive physiological symptoms of arousal, we look for an environmental explanations.
Or, how we label the emotion depends on our surroundings.
Example…Rage v. Excitement