Chapter 9 - Motivation and Emotion



Table of Contents:
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Motivation: Definition and Theory
    1. Biological Determinism
    2. Hull's Drive-Reduction Model
    3. Cognitive Consistency Theory
    4. Arousal Theory
    5. Incentive Theory
    6. Maslow's Theory of Self-Actualization
  3. Hunger
    1. Brain Mechanisms
    2. Hormonal Mechanisms
    3. Short Term and Long-Term Cues
    4. Eating Disorders
  4. Sex
    1. Brain Mechanisms
    2. Hormonal Mechanisms
    3. Environmental Factors
  5. Agression
    1. Types of Agression
    2. Causes of Agression
  6. Achievement
  7. Affiliation
  8. Conflict Motives
  9. Emotion
    1. Emotion-Related Physiological and Behavior Changes
    2. Evolutionary Theory
    3. James-Lange Theory
    4. Cannon's Thalamic Theory
    5. Cognitive Theories
  10. Some Specific Emotions
    1. Fear and Anxiety
    2. Love
  11. Glossary
  12. Quick Quiz


Motivation: Definition and Theory

In a broad sense, motivation pertains to the reason for acting or responding. Although motivatino has many facets, psychologists have been especially concerned with those influences that energize the direct responding.

Biological Determinism

The idea that behavior is driven by forces that are biological, mechanists, and innate is one of the oldest in all of psychology. Today, scientists called ethologists talk about biologically determined behaviors within the framework of insticts, or genetically programmed, adaptive behaviors. Although insticts are triggered by environmental stimuli, they are believe to have their own energy source. Once an instinctive behavior beings, it is almost always carried out to completion.

Konrad Lorenz and Niko Tinbergen have carefully examined many different species over a period of several decades. They found that certain behavioral patters are remarkable the same across members of the same species. This defines the concept of fixed action patterns (FAPs). Once an FAP behavior starts, it usually is followed by a very set and predictable sequence of actions. More recent studies have indicated that there is actually some minor variation in animal behavior. For that reason, researchers use the more contemporary term model action patterns (MAPs), which means that most animals, but not all, respond to certain cues in a constant way.

An important concept in ethology is that behaviors tend to be released by only one aspect of a stimulus, or a sign stimulus. An illustration of this is demonstrated in the territorial protection behavior of robins. A protective male robin did not percieve a robin lacking a red breast as a threat, but it did attack a bunch of red feathers clustered around a wire frame. In this case, the red grouping of feathers provided the sign stimulus.


jwiencko@tjhsst.edu