UT Arlington PSYC 1315 - chapter 10 (4 pages)

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Chapter 10 Notes Drive Reduction A drive is an aroused state that occurs because of a physiological need You can think of a drive as a psychological itch that requires scratching A need is a deprivation that energizes the drive to eliminate or reduce the deprivation Generally psychologists think of needs as underlying our drives You may have a need for water the drive that accompanies that need is your feeling of being thirsty Th e goal of drive reduction is homeostasis the body s tendency to maintain an equilibrium or a steady state Hundreds of biological states in the body must be maintained within a certain range these include temperature blood sugar level potassium and sodium levels and oxygenation When you dive into an icy swimming pool your body uses energy to maintain its normal temperature When you walk out of an air conditioned room into the heat of a summer day your body releases excess heat by sweating Th ese physiological changes occur automatically to keep your body in an optimal state of functioning Intrinsic motivation is based on internal factors such as organismic needs competence relatedness and autonomy as well as curiosity challenge and fun When we are intrinsically motivated we engage in a behavior because we enjoy it Extrinsic motivation involves external incentives such as rewards and punishments When we are extrinsically motivated we engage in a behavior for some external payoff or to avoid an external punishment According to Maslow s hierarchy of needs our main needs are satisfy ed in this sequence physiological needs safety love and belongingness esteem and selfactualization Maslow gave the most attention to self actualization the motivation to develop to one s full potential Th e lateral hypothalamus is involved in stimulating eating When this area is electrically stimulated in a well fed animal the animal begins to eat If this part of the hypothalamus is destroyed even a starving animal will show no interest in food Th e ventromedial