Ch 11 - Motivation Flashcards
(46 cards)
Motivation
an inferred process within a person or animal that causes movement either toward a goal or away from an unpleasant situation
Instincts
automatic, involuntary, and unlearned behavior patterns triggered by particular stimuli
ex. Cats know how to catch mice
Fixed-action patterns
an instinctual behavioural sequence that’s relatively invariant within the species
o Ex. Mother turkeys
Releaser
the triggering stimulus – what cues the fixed action pattern
o Ex. The “cheep, cheep” sound of baby turkeys
Drives
a biological trigger that tells us we may be deprived of something and causes us to seek out what is needed, such as food or water
Humans act on drives, not instincts
Primary Drives
Innate like thirst, hunger, sex
Secondary drives
Needs conditioned to have meaning like money
Incentives
stimuli we seek that can satisfy drives such as food, water, social approval, companionship, and other needs
Drive reduction theories
- We feel unpleasant tension when we stray from homeostasis (physiological equilibrium)
- We become motivated (driven) to restore that physiological equilibrium (satisfy the need)
Homeostasis
body’s physiological processes that allow it to maintain consistent internal states in response to the outer environment
Arousal theory
Humans are motivated to engage in behaviours that either increase or decrease arousal levels
- if arousal high = look for low arousal activities
- if arousal low = look for high arousal activities (curiosity of unknown)
Yerkes-Dodson Law
idea that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases
- Different tasks require different levels of arousal for optimal performance (simple and difficult tasks)
- For simple or well-learned tasks: performance improves as arousal increases
- For difficult tasks: performance declines as arousal increases
Hierarchy of needs
- Abraham Maslow: believed individuals possess constantly growing inner drive that has great potential
- 7 levels of needs
Self-determination theory
Proposes people have 3 primary motives
Autonomy: to cause outcomes in your own life – act consistently with your self-concept
Relatedness: to feel connected with others who are important to you – care for others and experience caring
- Ex. need to belong
Competence: to feel mastery over your life – to perform tasks at a satisfying level
Extrinsic motivation
completing activity will yield some kind of reward or benefit upon completion
- Performance motivation
Intrinsic Motivation
doing something purely because of enjoyment or fun
- Mastery motivation
Over-justification effect
the addition of external motivation can undermine internal motivation
- Ex. Students who previously enjoyed solving puzzles showed less intrinsic motivation after being paid
Self-efficacy
confidence that one can plan and execute a course of action
Approach goal
Incentives we are drawn towards like praise or money
- motivation to approach good outcomes
Avoidance goal
Unpleasant outcomes we try to avoid such as shame or cost
- motivation to avoid outcomes
3 motivational conflicts
Approach- approach: equally attracted to 2 or more possible goals
Avoidance-avoidance: choose lesser of 2 evils
Approach-avoidance: single activity has both positive and negative effect
Hunger
the need to consume enough nutrients so that you have enough energy to function
Parts of Hypothalamus
Ventromedial hypothalamus - when stimulated, it reduces eating (off switch)
Lateral hypothalamus - stimulation increases eating (on switch)
feeling full is in the brain, not the stomach
