Test 1 Flashcards
(134 cards)
• Form _____ new hypotheses can be generated
Theories
5 sub questions
a. Why does a behavior start?
b. Once begun, why is that behavior sustained over time?
c. Why is that behavior directed toward some goals (and
away from others)?
d. Why does that behavior change its direction?
e. Why does that behavior stop?
Sensation seekers
continually seek out strong sources of stimulation
Sensation avoiders
find strong stimulation an irritant.
‣ Needs
conditions within the individual that are
essential and necessary for the maintenance of life, well-
being and growth.
Cognitions:
mental events, such as plans, goals, beliefs, expectations, and the self
Emotions:
complex and coordinated reactions to
significant events in our lives and orchestrate four interrelated aspects
to react adaptively:
• Feelings:
subjective, verbal descriptions of emotional
experience
Arousal
How our body mobilizes itself to cope with situational demands
purpose
what specifically we want to accomplish in a given moment
expression
non verbal communication of our emotional experience.
external events are ______
environmental social and cultural aspects that affect motives such as: specific stimuli (money), events (being praised), general situations, culture
motivation is a ______, _______, ________, experience
private, internal, unobservable experience. behavior is observable.
Five ways to infer motivation:
- Behavior
- Engagement
- Psychophysiology
- Brain activations
- Self-report.
Engagement is
a multidimensional construct.
It consists of four distinct, intercorrelated and mutually supportive, aspects.
Aspects of engagement
- effort and persistence (behavioral engagement),
- positive emotions (e.g. interest, enjoyment) (emotional
engagement) - the use of sophisticated -rather than superficial- learning
strategies (cognitive engagement)
-verbal participation and contribution to the lesson (e.g.,
asking questions, constructive contribution, and so on)
(agentic engagement).
Phychophysiology:
study of the interaction between bodily and mental
states); the activity of our hormonal system.
How to measure neural and hormonal changes
- Blood tests
- saliva tests
- heart rate
- respiratory rate
- pupil diameter
when thirsty, the _________ is active.
hypothalamus
Self-Report:
• ask via an interview or a questionnaire to infer the level of anxiety
• by asking to report anxiety-related symptoms (an upset
stomach or thoughts of failure).
Advantages of questionnaires:
• easy to administer
• can be given to many people
simultaneously, can target very specific information.
Disadvantages of self report
lack of correspondence between what people say they do and what they actually do (e.g., more maximizers than satisfiers) between how they say they feel and what their 1psychophysiological activity indicates.
THEMES IN THE STUDY OF MOTIVATION
- Motivation benefits adaptation
- Motivation directs attention
- Motivation is an intervening variable
- Motives vary over time and influence the ongoing stream of behavior
- Types of motivations exist
- We are not always aware of the motivational basis of our behavior
- Motivation study reveals what people want
- To flourish, motivation needs supportive conditions
- When trying to motivate others, what is easy to do is rarely what works
- There is nothing so practical as a good theory.
- Motivation Benefits Adaptation
Circumstances constantly change (at home, school, work). Motivations and emotions help to adapt to the environmental changes.When students, workers, athletes are motivated, excited, confident and set higher goals, they will be able to adapt successfully to their environment.
In contrast, when motivation is low, personal adaptation suffers. People who feel helpless and unmotivated, tend to give up quickly when challenged.