AP Psychology - Motivation and Emotion Flashcards

Motivation

• Defined as a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior.
• Drives human actions and decisions towards goal fulfillment.

Instinct

• A complex and unlearned behavior, consistently patterned among species.

Drive-Reduction Theory

• Proposes that physiological needs create an aroused tension state, or drive, leading to behaviors aimed at satisfying those needs.

Homeostasis

• The body's natural tendency to maintain a stable internal environment, regulating variables like blood glucose.

Incentive

• Refers to environmental stimuli that can be positive or negative, motivating individuals to act.

Hierarchy of Needs

• Maslow's model categorizes human needs into a pyramid, with basic physiological needs at the base, followed by safety, then psychological needs.

Glucose

• A primary form of sugar in the blood, serving as the main energy source for body tissues. Low levels trigger feelings of hunger.

Set Point

• The predetermined body weight that the body tries to maintain through mechanisms that increase hunger and lower metabolism if weight is lost.

Basal Metabolic Rate

• Indicates the resting rate of energy expenditure by the body when at rest, crucial for understanding energy balance.

Anorexia Nervosa

• An eating disorder characterized by extreme weight loss (15% or more underweight) due to self-starvation paired with a distorted body image.

Bulimia Nervosa

• Involves episodes of excessive eating followed by purging behaviors such as vomiting or excessive exercise to avoid weight gain.

Binge-Eating Disorder

• Characterized by significant binge-eating episodes accompanied by feelings of distress but without compensatory purging behaviors.

Sexual Response Cycle

• Describes four stages of sexual arousal: excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution, as outlined by Masters and Johnson.

Refractory Period

• A time following orgasm during which a male cannot achieve another orgasm.

Estrogens

• Female sex hormones like estradiol that are predominant in females and play roles in female sexual characteristics and reproductive cycles.

Testosterone

• The principal male sex hormone that promotes male physical development and characteristics.

Sexual Orientation

• Represents an enduring sexual attraction towards one’s own sex (homosexual) or the opposite sex (heterosexual).

Emotion

• A comprehensive response involving physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experiences.

James-Lange Theory

• Suggests that emotions arise from awareness of physiological responses to stimuli.

Cannon-Bard Theory

• Posits that emotion-arousing stimuli trigger both psychological responses and subjective emotional experiences simultaneously.

Two-Factor Theory

• Schachter-Singer’s model states that experiencing emotion requires both physical arousal and cognitive labeling of that arousal.

Polygraph

• A machine that measures physiological responses, such as heart rate and perspiration, to detect lies and emotional states.

Facial Feedback

• Highlights how facial expressions can enhance or intensify emotional experiences, linking physical expressions with feelings.

Catharsis

• Refers to emotional release, suggesting that expressing aggressive feelings can alleviate urges to act aggressively.

Feel-Good, Do-Good Phenomenon

• The tendency for individuals to be more helpful when they are in a positive mood.

Well-Being

• Associated with self-perceived happiness and overall satisfaction with life.

Test your knowledge on the key concepts of motivation and emotion in AP Psychology with these flashcards. Each card covers important terms and definitions to help solidify your understanding of psychological theories and terms related to motivation. Perfect for exam preparation!