Human Behavior Ch 8 1 Perspectives and Motivation

Human Behavior Ch. 8 -1 Perspectives and Motivation

Motive • Specific need or desire, such as hunger, thirst, or achievement, that prompts goaldirected behavior • Triggered by a stimulus • Low blood sugar • Dehydration • Cue in the environment • Sale sign • Feelings • Guilt or anger

Emotion • Feeling, such as fear, joy, or surprise, that underlies behavior • Unpredictable response • Hunger = finding food • Joy or surprise = cannot know how someone will react • Smile • Screaming • Passing out

Instincts • Inborn, inflexible, goal-directed behaviors that is characteristic of an entire species • Salmon swimming upstream to spawn • Spider to spin webs • Human instincts according to William James: • Hunting, rivalry, fear, curiosity, shyness, love, shame and resentment

Instincts • 1920 s, instinct theory fell out of favor • 1. Human behavior is learned • 2. Behavior is rarely unchanged • 3. Saying everything is by instinct explains nothing • Babies do however • • Rooting reflex Grasping reflex Sucking Reflex Startle Reflex

Drive • State of tension or arousal that motivates behavior • Hunger or thirst • Drive-reduction theory • Motivated behavior is aimed at reducing a state of bodily tension or arousal by returning to a balance (homeostasis)

Homeostasis • State of balance and stability in which the organism functions effectively • • Balance Hungry = find food Tired = we find a place to rest We are looking to reduce a state of bodily tention

Primary Drives • Unlearned drive, such as hunger, that are based on a physiological state • Unlearned • Include hunger, thirst, and sex • Provides for the survival of individuals and species

Secondary Drives • Learned Drives, such as ambition, that are not based on a physiological state • • Acquired through learning Motivation to get money Getting good grade Getting a successful career

Arousal Theory • Theory of motivation that proposes that organisms seek an optimal level of arousal • Sleep - turn off TV and lights • Bored - turn on TV, take a walk, call a friend • Reduce or increase states of arousal to make you comfortable during a given time

Intrinsic Motivation • A desire to perform a behavior that stems from the enjoyment derived from the behavior itself • Doing things because they are fun = painting, climbing trees, or playing games • Enjoyment from the activity

Extrinsic Motivation • A desire to perform a behavior to obtain an external reward or avoid punishment • Chores to earn an allowance • Playing golf to help close a deal • Extrinsic motivations can decrease intrinsic motivations • Writing grandparents may lose intrinsic motivation in you get rewarded by your parents for doing so