unit 7

• Motivation


  a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior
• Instinct


  a complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and in unlearned
• Drive-reduction Theory


  physiological needs creates an aroused tension (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need. In other words, organisms are motivated to behave in ways that maintain homeostasis (ex. we get hungry, we are motivated to eat)
• Homeostasis


  a tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry around a particular level
• Incentive


  a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior
• 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 psychological needs become active
• Instinct Theory


  a complex, unlearned behavior with a fixed pattern throughout the species (ex. a spider creating a web)
• Incentive Theory


  positive or negative stimuli lure or repel us (ex. the lure of money entices us to go to work everyday)
• Optimum Arousal Theory


  each of us has an optimal level of arousal and we are motivated to behave in ways that help us achieve that arousal (ex. some people like to rock climb because it is exciting)
• Glucose


  the form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major source of energy for body tissues. When it is low, we feel hunger
• 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 lower metabolic rate may act to restore the lost weight
• Ghrelin


  an appetite hormone that is secreted by an empty stomach and sends "I'm hungry" signals to the brain
• Leptin and PYY


  appetite hormones that decease hunger; Leptin is secreted by fat cells and PYY is is secreted from the digestive tract
• Orexin


  a appetite hormone that is secreted by hypothalamus and triggers hunger
• Basal Metabolic State


  the body's resting rate of energy expenditure
• Settling Point


  the level at which a person's weight settles in response to caloric intake and expenditure (which are influenced by environment as well as biology)
• Neophobia


  the dislike of unfamiliar things; most likely developed in ancestors as a way to protect from potentially toxic foods and substances
• Social Facilitation


  the presence of others accentuate our typical eating habits
• Sexual Response Cycle


  the four stages of sexual responding described by Masters and Johnson; excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution
• Excitement


  genitals fill with blood and lubricate, ready for intercourse; breathing and pulse become rapid
• Plateau


  the changes related to excitement reach a peak
• Orgasm


  contractions all over the body; sexual release
• Resolution


  enlarged genitals release blood; male goes through refractory period, women resolve slower
• Refractory Period


  a resting period after orgasm, during which a man cannot achieve another orgasm
• Sexual Disorders


  a problem that consistently impairs sexual arousal or functioning
• Erectile Dysfunction


  the inability for a male to have or maintain an erection
• Premature Ejaculation


  when a male prematurely ejaculates
• Orgasmic Disfunction


  in women, distress over infrequently or never experiencing orgasm
• Estrogen


  sex hormones such as estradiol, secreted in greater amounts by females than males and contributing to female sex characteristics
• Testosterone


  the most important of the male sex hormones. Both males and females have it, but the additional testosterone in males stimulates the growth of the male sex organs in the fetus and the development of the male sex characteristics during puberty
• Ostracism


  cut off or excluded from social contact
• Cyber-ostracism


  being ignored or cut off online (being ignored in a chat room or having an email go unanswered)
• Flow


  a completely involved, focused state of consciousness, with diminished awareness of self and time, resulting from optimal engagement of one's skills
• Industrial-organizational (I/O) Psychology


  the application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces
• Personnel Psychology


  a subfield of I/O psychology that focuses on employee recruitment, selection, placement, training, appraisal, and development
• Organizational Psychology


  a subfield of I/O psychology that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use
• Human Factors Psychology


  a subfield of I/O psychology that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use
• Structured Interviews


  interview process that asks the same job-relevant questions of all applicants, each of whom is rated on established scales
• Grit


  passionate dedication to an ambitious, long-term goal
• Achievement Motivation


  a desire for significant accomplishment; for mastery of skills or ideas; for rapidly attaining a high standard