Motivation, Emotion, and Personality Flashcards
(117 cards)
Motivation
A need or desire that energizes and directs behavior.
Instinct
A complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned.
Physiological Need
A basic bodily requirement
Drive-Reduction Theory
The idea that a physiological need creates an aroused state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need.
Homeostasis
A tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level.
Incentive
A positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior.
Arousal Theory
The arousal theory of motivation states that motivation is dictated by specific levels of “arousal”, which in psychology represents mental alertness. People have different levels of optimal arousal and are motivated to take actions that help them achieve their optimum level.
Yerkes-Dodson Law
The principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases.
Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow’s pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied before higher-level safety needs and then psychological needs become active. From top to bottom of the pyramid: Self Actualization (desire to become the most one can be), Esteem (self-respect, status, etc.), Love and Belonging (friendship, intimacy, family, etc.), Safety Needs (personal security, health, etc.), and Physiological Needs (air, water, food, shelter, etc.).
Self-Actualization
Self-actualization, in psychology, a concept regarding the process by which an individual reaches his or her full potential. It was originally introduced by Kurt Goldstein, a physician specializing in neuroanatomy and psychiatry in the early half of the 20th century.
Self-Transcendence
According to Maslow, self-transcendence brings the individual what he termed “peak experiences” in which they transcend their own personal concerns and see from a higher perspective. These experiences often bring strong positive emotions like joy, peace, and a well-developed sense of awareness. At the top of Maslow’s Pyramid.
Glucose
The form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major source of energy for body tissues. When its level is low, we feel hunger.
Insulin (Hunger Hormone)
Hormone secreted by pancreas; controls blood glucose. (Decreases Appetite)
Ghrelin (Hunger Hormone)
Hormone secreted by empty stomach; sends “I’m hungry” signals to the brain. (Increases Appetite)
Orexin (Hunger Hormone)
Hunger-triggering hormone secreted by hypothalamus. (Increases Appetite)
Leptin (Hunger Hormone)
Protein hormone secreted by fat cells; when abundant, causes brain to increase metabolism and decrease hunger. (Decreases Appetite)
PYY (Hunger Hormone)
Digestive tract hormone; sends “I’m not hungry” signals to the brain. (Decreases Appetite)
Hypothalamus
It performs various body maintenance functions, including control of hunger. Blood vessels supply the hypothalamus, enabling it to respond to our current blood chemistry as well as to incoming neural information about the body’s state. “The lat makes the rat fat. “ - Ellis
Set Point
The point at which your “weight thermostat” may be set. When body falls below this weight, increased hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may combine to restore lost weight.
Basal Metabolic Rate
The body’s resting rate of energy output.
Obesity
Obesity is a condition marked by excess accumulation of body fat.
Asexual
Having no sexual attraction to others.
Testorone
The most important male sex hormone. Both males and females have it, but the additional testosterone in males stimulates the growth of the male sex organs during the fetal period and the development of the male sex characteristics during puberty.
Estrogen
Sex hormones, such as estradiol, that contribute to female sex characteristics and are secreted in greater amounts by females than by males. Estrogen levels peak during ovulation. In nonhuman mammals, this promotes sexual receptivity.