PSYC 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Steven Pinker, Denis Dutton, Basal Forebrain

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 100
• Professor: Caroline F Pukall

Document Summary

Motivation: a general term for phenomena that affect the nature, strength, and persistence of an individual"s behaviour. Drives: reversible internal conditions that affect the nature, strength, and persistence of an individual"s behaviour. Regulatory drives are those such as hunger, thirst, thermoregulation, and sleep that help maintain physiological homeostasis. Homeostasis: homeostasis can be described as the tendency of an animal to regulate its internal conditions (ex. Temperature, glucose levels, osmotic pressure of cells) by a system of feedback controls (like hunger and eating; thirst and drinking; shivering and putting on a sweater) so as to optimize health and functioning. Non-regulatory drives fulfill an evolutionary purpose, but indirectly. Motivational states are energizing; they direct an animal to act and direct behaviour toward a goal. These drives can be divided into the following sections: safety, reproductive, social, educative. Non-regulatory drives, such as sex and achievement, also contribute to our survival, but in an indirect manner.