Motivation (Ch 11)

Question 1

Motivation

Answer 1

• defined as the urge to move toward one’s goals, whatever they may be
• needs, drives, and incentives all contribute to motivation

Question 2

Needs

Answer 2

• states of cellular or bodily deficiency that compel drives
• inherited biologically
• water, food, oxygen

Question 3

Drives

Answer 3

• the perceived states of tension that occur when our bodies are deficient in some need
• such a deficiency creates a drive (thirst or hunger) to alleviate the state

Question 4

Incentive

Answer 4

-any external object or event that motivates behaviour

Question 5

Evolutionary model

Answer 5

• the purpose of any living organism is to perpetuate itself
• process of natural and sexual selection have shaped motivation over time to make all animals want things to help them survive and reproduce

Question 6

Instinct

Answer 6

• an inherited behavioural tendency of a species

- implies internal drives are constant amongst members of a species because they serve adaptive functions for survival

Question 7

Drive reduction model

Answer 7

-when our physiological systems are out of balance or depleted, we are driven to reduce this depleted state

Question 8

Homeostasis

Answer 8

• central to drive reduction is the idea of maintaining physiological balance (homeostasis)
• all organisms are motivated to maintain physiological equilibrium around an optimal set point
• sensory detectors trigger mechanisms that motivate us to take action
• homeostasis describes the feedback look

Question 9

Set point

Answer 9

-ideal fixed setting of a particular physiological system

Question 10

Optimal arousal

Answer 10

• proposes that we function best at an optimal level of arousal
• research by Yerkes and Dodson shows that low arousal and high arousal lead to poor performance
• after long periods of sensory deprivation, people begin to hallucinate, their cognitive ability and concentration suffer, and they develop childish emotional responses

Question 11

Flow

Answer 11

-termed used in 1990s to describe the fact that people perform best and are most creative when they are optimally challenged relative to their abilities

Question 12

Hierarchical model

Answer 12

-combines drives and incentives
-needs range from the most basic physiological necessities to the highest, most physiological needs for growth and fulfilment.
Top:
Parenting
Mate retention
Mate acquisition
Status/esteem
Affiliation
Self-protection
Immediate physiological needs

Question 13

Hunger

Answer 13

• hunger has 4 components: blood, stomach, brain, and hormones/neuro chemicals
• contraction of stomach occurs when it and small bowel have been empty for about 2 hours
• contractions don’t CAUSE hunger

Question 14

Glucose

Answer 14

• most important source of energy for the body
• simple sugar that provides energy for cells throughout the body, including the brain
• blood sugar drops when we go without eating for long periods
• hypothalamus monitors this and triggers hunger when it drops too low

Question 15

Hypothalamus

Answer 15

• regulates most basic physiological needs
• unique in that certain regions lack an effective blood brain barrier, which enables neurons to detect blood-borne nutrients such as glucose
• sends signals to other parts of the brain to make us eat or not eat

Question 16

Lateral hypothalamus

Answer 16

• considered one of the main hunger centres in the hypothalamus
• in rats: destructing this area leads to reduced feeding, stimulation promotes feeding

Question 17

Ventromedial hypothalamus

Answer 17

• plays complementary role in promoting satiety (full feeling)
• destruction of this area leads to overfeeding, and weight gain, while stimulation has the opposite effect
• inhibits the parasympathetic NS, so when destroyed, rest and digest activities become more pronounced

Question 18

Hormones and neurochemical roles in hunger

Answer 18

• either stimulat or suppress appetite
• orexin, ghrelin, melanin, and endocannabinoids all stimulate feeding
• neuropeptide Y (NPY) is released in the hypothalamus when an animal is hungry
• Ghrelin is released from digestive system; levels rise when we are hungry and fall after we eat… sends signals of hunger to brain
• endocannabinoids increase appetite
• blocking the associated receptors leads to decrease in eating and to weight loss
• insulin, leptin, peptide YY, and cholecystokinin suppress appetite
• insulin is secreted in response to higher blood glucose levels

Question 19

Food preference

Answer 19

• shaped by evolutionary forces
• crave basic nutrients that our bodies require but were also scarce during ancestral times: sugar, salt, and fat
• preference shaped by culture
• exposure does not immediately lead to preference
• the more often people eat certain foods the more they like them

Question 20

When we eat and how much

Answer 20

• signals outside of body have strong impact on the timing and size of our meals
• rely on our eyes rather than our stomach to tell us when we are full

Question 21

Motive to be thin

Answer 21

• in evolutionary past it was important to store as much fat as we could in case it became scare
• no longer need to consume large qualities to be healthy
• thinness has become a cultural obsession
• dieting associated with mood and cognitive disturbances and a significant risk factor for eating disorders

Question 22

Anorexia nervous

Answer 22

• people who cannot maintain 85% of their ideal body weight for their height, have an intense fear of eating, and have distorted body image
• dont recognize that they are unusually thin or that they have an eating disorder

Question 23

Bulimia nervosa

Answer 23

• prone to binge eating and feeling lack of control during eating session
• regularly engages in self-inducing vomiting, use of laxative, or diuretics, strict dieting or fasting in order to prevent weight gain

Question 24

Causes of anorexia

Answer 24

-risks for this disorder include reactivity to stress, genetics, and personality
-women more likely than men
-women with eating disorders show higher physiological reactivity to stress
-56% of influence for eating disorders due to genetics, 38% to environment
More likely to develop anorexia if people demonstrate prowess to anxiety, depression and low self esteem
-more conscientious, introverted and less open to new and novel situations

Question 25

Obesity

Answer 25

• BMI determined but dividing weight by height
• healthiest is between 20-25
• 26-29 considered overweight
• 30+ considered obese
• weight gain subject to environmental influence but genes account for 70% of influence
• some types of obesity are cause by a mutation to the gene that produces the leptin hormone which suppresses appetite
• genes also control number of fat cells a person has: it is set at childhood and doesnt change much after that

Question 26

Sexual behaviour

Answer 26

• action that produce arousal and increase the likelihood of orgasm
• men and women go through 4 stages of sexual arousal, but differently
• 4 phases: excitement, plateau, orgasm, resolution