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 motivation | a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior |
| instinct | a complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned |
| drive-reduction theory | the idea that a physiological need creates an aroused tension state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need |
| homeostasis | 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 |
| incentive | a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior |
| optimum arousal | motivation theory that states that the individual will seek a level of arousal that is comfortable; explains curiosity and play behaviors |
| hierarchy of needs | Maslow's pyramid of human needs; at the base are physiological needs that must first be satisfied before higher-level safety needs and then psychological needs (belongingness, esteem, self-actualization). |
| Ancel Keys | director of WWII-era semi-starvation study at U of M; the physical and psychological effects of starvation were systematically studied. |
| ghrelin | the "hunger hormone" secreted by the stomach around anticipated mealtimes; accounts for the "empty" feeling when hungry |
| leptin | appetite-suppressing hormone produced by distended fat cells |
| cholecystokinin (CCK) | peptide released by upper intestine that signals satiety; provides the initial signal to stop eating |
| PYY & GLP-1 | two hormones produced by the lower intestine that slow digestion and signal satiety. They are longer acting than CCK. GLP-1 also stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin. |
| ventromedial hypothalamus | lower middle area of the hypothalamus that, when stimulated, reduces hunger. Destruction of this area causes overeating & weight gain. |
| lateral hypothalamus | Region of the hypothalamus (the sides of it) that, when activated, produces hunger. Emits the hunger-triggering hormone orexin. Destruction of this area causes animals to lose interest in eating. |
| orexin | hunger-triggering hormone produced by the lateral hypothalamus |
| glucose | form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major source of energy for body tissues; when low, we feel hungry |
| insulin | a hormone produced by the pancreas and released in response to high blood glucose following a meal. Insulin promotes the use and storage of glucose by the body's tissues |
| set point | the point at which an individual's "weight thermostat" is supposedly set. When the body falls below this weight, an increase in hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may act to restore the lost weight. |
| basal metabolic rate | the body's resting rate of energy expenditure |
| anorexia nervosa | an eating disorder in which a normal-weight person (usually an adolescent female) diets and becomes significantly (15% or more) underweight, yet still feels fat and continues to starve. |
| bulemia nervosa | An eating disorder in which large quantities of food are eaten at one time (binge eating) and then purged from the body by vomiting, use of laxative, or other means. |
| human sexual response cycle | a sequence of four stages that characterizes the sexual response in both men and women: excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution; described by Masters & Johnson |
| Alfred Kinsey | regarded by some as the father of the scientific study of human sexuality. Published a series of reports which described common sexual behaviors in the US. |
| William Masters & Virginia Johnson | researchers who described the human sexual response cycle and sought to define and treat sexual disorders based on that model |
| sexual disorders | a problem that consistently impairs sexual arousal or functioning |
| sexual orientation | an enduring sexual attraction toward members of either one's own sex or the other sex |
| industrial-organizational psychology | application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces; includes subfields of human factors psych, personnel psych, and organizational psych |
| flow | a completely involved, focused state of consciousness with diminished awareness of self and time, resulting in optimal engagement of one's skills |
| personnel psychology | subfield of I/O Psych that focuses on employee recruitment, selection, placement, training, evaluation, etc. |
| organizational psychology | subfield of I/O Psych that examines organizational influences on worker satisfaction and productivity and facilitates organizational change |
| interviewer illusion | phenomenon wherein persons conducting employment interviews overestimate their ability to discern good candidates from poor ones. |
| structured interviews | interview process that asks the same job-relevant questions of all applicants, each of whom is rated on established scales |
| achievement motivation | a desire for significant accomplishment; for mastery of things, people or ideas; for attaining a high standard |
| halo errors | obstacle to objective performance evaluation wherein one trait (e.g. friendliness) biases ratings of others (e.g. consistency). |
| recency errors | in personnel evaluations, when supervisors focus only on easily remembered recent behavior |
| leniency or severity errors | when a supervisor tends to be overly easy (leniency) or too harsh (severity) on everyone |
| task leadership | goal-oriented leadership that sets standards, organizes work, and focuses attention on goals |
| social leadership | group-oriented leadership that builds teamwork, mediates conflict, and offers support |
| Theory X | assumes that workers are basically lazy, error-prone, and extrinsically motivated by money and, thus, should be directed from above |
| Theory Y | assumes that, given challenge and freedom, workers are motivated to achieve self-esteem and to demonstrate their competence and creativity |