 | Term | Definition |
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motivation |
a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior |
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instinct |
a complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned |
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drive-reduction theory |
the idea that a physiological need creates an aroused tension state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need |
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homeostasis |
a 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 |
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incentive |
a positive or negative environmental stimulus that regulates behavior |
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hierarchy of needs |
Maslow's pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied before higher-level safety needs and then psychology needs become active |
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glucose |
the form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major source of energy for body tissues. when its level is low, we feel hunger. |
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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 lowered metabolic rate may act to restore the lost weight |
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basal metabolic rate |
the body's resting rate of energy expenditure |
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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 feeling fat, continues to starve |
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bulimia nervosa |
an eating disorder characterized by episodes of overeating, usually of high caloric foods, followed by vomiting, laxative use, fasting, or excessive exercise |
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sexual response cycle |
the four stages of sexual responding described by Masters and Johnson- excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution |
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refractory period |
a resting period after orgasm, during which a man cannot achieve another orgasm |
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estrogen |
a sex hormone, secreted in greater amounts by females than males. In nonhuman female mammals, estrogen levels peak during ovulation, promoting sexual receptivity |
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sexual disorder |
a problem that consistently impairs sexual arousal of functioning |
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sexual orientation |
an enduring sexual attraction toward members of either one's own gender (homosexual orientation) or the other gender (heterosexual orientation) |
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achievement motivation |
a desire for significant accomplishment: for mastery of things, people, or ideas; for attaining a high standard |
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intrinsic motivation |
a desire to perform a behavior for its own sake and to be effective |
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extrinsic motivation |
a desire to perform a behavior due to promised rewards or threats of punishment |
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industrial/organizational psychology |
a subfield of psychology that studies and advises on workplace behavior. (I/O) psychologists help organizations select and train employees, boost morale and productivity, and design products and assess responses to them |
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task leadership |
goal-oriented leadership that sets standards, organizes work, and focuses attention on goals |
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social leadership |
group-oriented leadership tha builds teamwork, mediates conflict, and offers support |
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theory X |
assumes that workers are basically lazy, error-prone, and extrinsically motivated by money and thus, should be directed from above |
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theory Y |
assumes that, given challenge and freedom, workers are motivated to achieve self-esteem and to demonstrate their competence and creativity |
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emotion |
a response of the whole organism involving (1) physiological arousal, (2)expressive behaviors, and (3)conscious experience |
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James-Lange theory |
the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli |
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Cannon-Bard theory |
the theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers (1)physiological responses and (2) the subjective experience of emotion |
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two-factor theory |
Schachter's theory that to experience emotion one must (1)be physically aroused and (2)cognitively label the arousal |
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polygraph |
a machine, commonly used in attempts to detect lies, that measures several of the physiological responses accompanying emotion (such as perspiration, heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing changes). |
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catharsis |
emotional release. In psychology, the catharsis hypothesis maintains that "releasing" aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggressive urges. |
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feel-good, do-good phenomenon |
people's tendency to be helpful when already in a good mood. |
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subjective well-being |
self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life. Used along with measures of objective-well being(for example, physical and economic indicators) to evaluate people's quality of life. |
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adaptation-level phenomenon |
our tendency to form judgments (of sounds, of lights, of income) relative to a "neutral" level defined by our prior experience. |
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relative-deprivation |
the perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself |
