Psychology Key Terms and Definitions

Motivation = The process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. Extrinsic motivation = When people are motivated to perform a behavior or engage in an activity because we want to earn a reward or avoid punishment. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs = The idea that human needs are arranged in a hierarchy, with physiological (survival) needs at the bottom and the more creative and intellectually oriented 'self-actualization' needs at the top. Self-Actualization = A person's motivation to reach his or her full potential.

The Stanford marshmallow experiment = A study on delayed gratification in 1972 led by psychologist Walter Mischel, a professor at Stanford University. Stanford Prison Experiment = In 1971, psychologist Philip Zimbardo and his colleagues set out to create an experiment that looked at the impact of becoming a prisoner or prison guard. Up series = A series of documentary films that follows the lives of ten males and four females in England beginning in 1964, when they were seven years old. Delay of Gratification = The act of resisting an impulse to take an immediately available reward in the hope of obtaining a more-valued reward in the future.

Intrinsic motivation = When people engage in a behavior because they find it rewarding. Mastery orientation = The belief that success is the result of effort and use of the appropriate strategies. Performance orientation = The belief that success is the result of superior ability and of surpassing one's peers. Delay of Gratification = The act of resisting an impulse to take an immediately available reward in the hope of obtaining a more-valued reward in the future.