What is Motivation?
• Motivation is a state in which we are aroused and our behavior is goal directed
• Motivational States– Are energizing Activate or arouse behavior– Are directive guide behavior toward satisfying goal– Persist continues until goal is achieved– Vary in strength based in internal and external
factors
Function of Motivation
• Regulatory drives us to engage in behaviors that regulate internal states– Function homeostasis
• Purposive drives us to engage in behaviors that fulfill personal goals– Function achieve goal or desired outcome
Regulatory Function
Instincts
• Instincts unlearned automatic actions that are triggered by external cues– Orienting to sound
• Fixed Action Patterns– Instinctive behavior, similar to a reflex, that is
produced in response to a releasing stimulus– E.g., Three-spined stickleback
Fixed Action Pattern
Needs, Drives, & Rewards
• Needs state of deficiency or deprivation• Drives psychological states activated to
satisfy needs– Arousal physiological activation or increase
autonomic response
• Reward when behavior satisfies need, animal experiences drive reduction– Habit Usual or typical response to a need– Hedonism drive to experience pleasure
Biological Set-Points
• Homeostasis tendency for body functions to maintain equilibrium or balance
– Set point hypothetical state that indicates equilibrium
• E.g., thermostat• Normal body temperature• Glucose, water, fat
Negative Feedback Model
Purposive Functions
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
TOTE Model
Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation
• Extrinsic Motivation external goal toward which an activity is directed– Behavior that is controlled by social, cultural, material
reinforcers• E.g., paychecks; good grades
• Intrinsic Motivation behavior that is performed because of the value or pleasure associated with the activity– E.g., play; sports; reading
Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation?
• Extrinsic rewards reduce intrinsically motivated behavior
• Why?– Deci & Ryan – intrinsic motivation satisfies
need for autonomy and personal control – extrinsic rewards take this away
– Bem – attribute our behavior to the reward; i.e., we must not have liked it as much as we though we did; we did it for the reward
Yerkes-Dodson Law
• Low and high levels of arousal inhibit performance
• Moderate levels of arousal are associated with optimal performance– E.g., sports performance– Test anxiety and performance
Optimal Level of Arousal
Novelty and Arousal
• In contrast to drive theory– People seek out arousal because certain
levels of arousal are pleasurable
– Follows Yerkes-Dodson law with low and high levels of arousal seen less pleasurable than moderate levels of arousal
– Basal level of arousal determines level of arousal that is found to be reinforcing
Brain Areas Involved in Motivation
• Hypothalamus controls the autonomic and endocrine systems– Autonomic Nervous System
• Parasympathetic• Sympathetic
– Both systems direct behaviors essential to survival• E.g., damage to hypothalamus leads to abnormalities in the 4
F’s
• Reticular formation responsible for arousal • Frontal lobes responsible for planning• Amygdala controls emotion • Basal ganglia is the reward system
Eating as an Exemplar
• Regulatory Function– Role of hypothalamus– Homeostasis
• Genetic influence and set-points– Glucostatic and lipostatic theories
• Sweet and fat are reinforcing
• Purposive Function– Time and taste– Stigma of obesity and body image