• What behavior’s are unacceptable in our culture?
• Under what conditions would you engage in them?
Instinct= as a theory, incomplete
• A complex, inherited, preprogrammed behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species.
• Instincts sometimes called Fixed Action Patterns
Drive Theory- Clark Hull
• We all have need that must be met.
• Needs prompt us to restore our balance, (homeostasis) typically reducing the drive
• Eating and drinking are examples of drive-reducing behaviors
• Also called: Drive-Reduction Theory
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
• Any change in levels, up or down, results in being motivated to bring the level back to normal.
Insulin
• Hormone which allows the body to use glucose for energy or fat production
• As insulin levels increase, glucose levels decrease.
Glucose
• Form of sugar which circulates through the body
• One feels hunger when the levels become low.
Set Point
• The point at which an individual’s “weight thermostat” is supposedly set;
• when the body falls below this weight, an increased hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may act to restore the lost weight.
Cultural Influences on Eating
• Cultural views on obesity can vary
• Culture influences the foods we like and dislike.
• The American beauty “ideal”
Anorexia Nervosa• Anorexics put themselves on self-
starvation regimens
• May become dangerously underweight (15% of more below normal)
• DO NOT loose their appetite
• 5-8% (lifetime) die of malnutrition related problems
• Most common pre-post puberty but can occur following any life trauma
• Evidence of genetic trait
Bulimia Nervosa• An eating disorder characterized by
episodes of overeating –
• usually of high-calorie foods -
• followed by vomiting, use of laxatives, fasting, or excessive exercise.
• 5% of college women
• Hair loss-heart irregularities-tooth erosion-loss of sex drive-anxiety-depression
Yerkes-Dodson Law
• The theory that a degree of psychological arousal helps performance, but only to a point.
• Optimum level of arousal depends on the difficulty of the task.
Sensation Seekers?
Opponent Process Theory Highest 16-20 Males more than
females. Cross cultural. Correlates with drug use. Related to mania. See situations as less
risky than they are.
Incentive Theory
• We are pulled toward behaviors by extrinsic rewards/incentives.
• Connection between incentive theory and behavioral concepts of positive & negative reinforcement and punishment.
Extrinsic Motivation
• A desire to perform a behavior because of promised rewards or threats of punishment.
Intrinsic Motivation
• A desire to perform a behavior for its own sake
• Self-determination theory= need for autonomy competence relatedness
Cognitive Consistency
Cognitive-dissonance theory says that we strive to keep our thoughts, attitudes and behavior in agreement to reduce anxiety
Cognitive-Evaluation Theory
Edward Deci A reward perceived as providing information about a person’s competence will increase intrinsic motivation
Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)
• Humanistic psychologist who proposed the hierarchy of needs, with self-actualization as one of the ultimate psychological needs.
Henry Murray (1893-1988)
• Neo-Freudian who first established the concept of achievement motivation and developed important personality testing tools.
• TAT
Achievement Motivation
• A desire for significant accomplishment;
• for the mastery of things, people, or ideas; and
• for attaining a high standard.
McClelland’s Studies
• Studied achievement motivation using the (Murray) Thematic Apperception Test (TAT).