Psychology 1000 Lecture 4: Chapter 11

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 1000
• Professor: Laura Fazakas- De Hoog

Document Summary

Motivation: a process that influences the direction, persistence and vigour of goal- directed behaviour. Instinct theory and evolutionary psychology: darwin"s theory of evolution inspired early psychological views that instincts motivate much of our behaviour. Instincts: an inherited predisposition to behave in a specific and predictable way when exposed to a particular stimulus. Focus attention on external stimuli that motivate behaviour behaviour (eating desert even though we are full) Seeking and administering a drug is motivated by the positive incentive value of the drug"s effect. Extrinsic motivation: performing an activity to obtain an external reward or avoid punishment. Overjustify that behaviour and reduce intrinsic motivation. Short term signals that start meals by producing hunger and stop food intake by producing satiety. There is a set point- an internal physiological standard- around which body weight is regulated. In this manner, if we overeat or eat too little, homeostasis will return us close to our original weight.