Psychology: Motivation and Emotion

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Questions and Answers

Which part of the brain is initially thought to control hunger, but is now known to regulate hunger through neural circuits?

Hypothalamus (correct)

Medial nucleus

Arcuate nucleus

Paraventrical nucleus

What is the role of leptin in the regulation of hunger?

Produced by the stomach to stimulate hunger

Produced by the hypothalamus to suppress hunger

Produced by fat cells to provide information about the body's fat stores (correct)

Produced by the pancreas to regulate glucose levels

What is the effect of too little insulin on the body?

Decreased hunger

Increased hunger (correct)

Increased satiety

No effect on hunger

What is the effect of ghrelin on the stomach?

Causes stomach contractions Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of the incentive value of food is linked to availability, palatability, variety, and presence of others?

44% Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of incentive theories in understanding motivation?

External stimuli that regulate motivational states Signup and view all the answers

According to drive theories, what is the primary motivator of behavior?

Internal states of tension that seek to restore homeostasis Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a biological motive?

Exhibition Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary limitation of drive theories in understanding motivation?

They do not explain why people engage in behavior when not in a state of tension Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between drive and incentive approaches to understanding motivation?

Drive theories focus on internal states, while incentive theories focus on external stimuli Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary assumption of evolutionary theories of motivation?

Motives are the products of evolution and served adaptive purposes Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary characteristic of the affiliative motive?

A desire to form and maintain social connections Signup and view all the answers

What is a key aspect of the cognitive component of emotional experience?

Evaluative and highly personal cognitive appraisals of events Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the thalamus in the emotional response?

To send signals simultaneously to the cortex and autonomic nervous system Signup and view all the answers

What is the main idea behind the James-Lange theory of emotion?

The conscious experience of emotion results from one's perception of autonomic arousal Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of the physiological component of emotional experience?

Autonomic arousal and neural circuits involving the amygdala and hypothalamus Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a fundamental emotion according to Paul Ekman's theory?

Excitement Signup and view all the answers

What is a consequence of poor affective forecasting?

Reliable misprediction of future feelings Signup and view all the answers

Which neural structure plays a key role in the physiological component of emotional experience?

Amygdala Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of the behavioral component of emotional experience?

Nonverbal behavior, such as facial cues and body language Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the sex drive?

To ensure the survival of the species Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following stages of the human sexual response cycle is characterized by physiological arousal building up more slowly?

Plateau Phase Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the period of time during which an individual is not responsive to sexual stimulation after orgasm?

Refractory period Signup and view all the answers

What is the percentage of identical twins who both identify as gay, according to research?

52% Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the need to master difficult challenges, outperform others, and to meet high standards of excellence?

Achievement motivation Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following factors determines the tendency to pursue achievement in a particular situation?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What is the percentage of the population that identifies as gay, according to Kinsey's 7-point scale?

5-8% Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following factors influences female sexuality more than male sexuality?

Sociocultural factors Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Motivation

Motives are needs, wants, interests, and desires that propel people in certain directions
Motivation involves goal-directed behavior

Theoretical Approaches

Drive Theories: a hypothetical, internal state of tension that motivates an organism to engage in activities that should reduce this tension
Incentive Theories: external stimuli regulate motivational states, pulling people in a particular direction

The Range of Motives

Biological Motives:
- Survival
- Hunger
- Thirst
- Sex
- Sleep
Social Motives:
- Affiliation
- Achievement
- Nurturance
- Exhibition

The Motivation of Hunger and Eating

Biological Factors:
- Hypothalamus: regulates hunger, but not an on/off switch
- Glucose regulation: insulin plays a role in determining hunger
- Digestive regulation: ghrelin and CCK hormones regulate hunger and satiety
- Hormone regulation: leptin informs the hypothalamus about the body's fat stores
Environmental Factors:
- Incentive value of food: availability, palatability, variety, presence of others
- Environmental cues: adverts
- Learned Preferences and habits: classical conditioning and observational learning

Sexual Motivation and Behaviour

The Sex Drive: ensures the survival of the species
The Biological Response:
- Human Sexual Response Cycle:
  - Excitement Phase: physical arousal, vasocongestion
  - Plateau Phase: physiological arousal builds
  - Orgasmic Phase: peak of intensity
  - Resolution Phase: physiological changes subside
Parental Investment: effects interest in sexual activity, promotes selective mating
Sexual Orientations:
- Kinsey's 7-point scale
- Biology: hormonal secretion in critical periods of prenatal development

Achievement Motivation

The need to master difficult challenges, outperform others, and meet high standards of excellence
Correlates positively with success
Factors influencing achievement motivation:
- Strength of motivation to achieve success
- Estimate of the probability of success
- Incentive value of success

Emotional Experience

Emotion involves:
- Subjective conscious experience (cognitive component)
- Bodily arousal (physiological component)
- Characteristic overt expressions (behavioral component)

The Cognitive Component

Highly personal and subjective experience
Cognitive appraisals of events determine emotion
Evaluative aspect: can be automatic/unconscious
Poor affective forecasting: efforts to predict one's emotional reactions to future events

The Physiological Component

Autonomic arousal: autonomic nervous system responsible for physical arousal
Neural circuits: amygdala, hypothalamus, and structures in the limbic system
Thalamic-amygdala-hypothalamic pathway: sensory information triggers autonomic arousal and hormonal responses

The Behavioral Component

Emotions expressed in nonverbal behavior: body language
Paul Ekman's facial cues: 6 fundamental emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust)
When contracting facial muscles, may experience the corresponding emotion

Theories of Emotion

James-Lange Theory: conscious experience of emotion results from perception of autonomic arousal
Cannon-Bard Theory: emotion occurs when the thalamus sends signals simultaneously to the cortex (conscious experience) and the autonomic (visceral arousal)

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Description

Explore the concepts of motivation and emotion, including drive and incentive approaches, types of motives, and stages of the human sexual response. Delve into the components of emotion and compare theories of emotion.