Ch. 1 Study Guide: Motivation

Figure 1.4 Pg. 16 Framework to understand motivation

(flowchart) a. Antecedent conditions (environment events, social contexts, internal/external, etc.) b. motive status (needs, cognitions, emotions) c. sense of "wanting to"...urge to approach or avoid. d. energizing & directing (behavior, engagement, physiology, self-report)

What is a theory?

-"Intellectual framework that organizes a vast amount of knowledge about a phenomenon so that the phenomenon can be better understood and explained." -Developed based on what we already know about human behavior. -Discard theories or components of theories that are not supported by empirical research.

The scientific method/empirical research process...

-"The study of motivation is a behavioral science." -Careful data collection -Thorough and critical data analysis -Peer review

Define Motivation...

-"To be moved into action, or to decide on a change in action" -"The forces acting on or within an organism to initiate and direct behavior" -"Internal processes that give behavior its energy, direction, and persistence." (*Reeves definition) -Involves those processes that give behavior its energy and direction

How does motivation express itself & what do we see when someone is motivated?

-Effort: Exertion put forth during a task. -Persistence: Time between when a behavior first starts until it ends. -Latency: Duration of time a person waits to get started on a task. -Choice: When presented with 2 or more courses of action, preferring one course of action over the other. -Probability of response: Number of occasions that the person enacts a particular goal-directed response. -Facial Expressions: Wrinkling the nose, lowering the brow, etc. -Bodily gestures: Leaning forward, changing posture, etc.

What is the process of theory development and hypothesis testing?

-Illustration of a Theory: a) theory: as created by motivational psychologists b) hypothesis: a prediction about what should happen if the theory is correct c) data: to test the adequacy of each hypothesis d) recommended applications: how to support and enhance motivation and emotion in applied settings f) reality **Must have emotional detachment from the process

Internal motives vs. Environmental incentives (definition and explanation)

-Internal motives: internal process that energizes, directs, and sustains behavior. Ex: needs, cognitions, emotions, feelings, arousal, purpose, expression -Environmental incentives: in the category of external events. Include attractive stimuli (money) or unattractive stimuli (odor)

What are the 5 pieces of information we can examine to understand how motivation expresses itself?

1. Behavior 2. Engagement 3. Brain & physiology activations 4. Self-Report

What are the 5 parameters of motivated behavior? (name and define each)

1. Initiation: What starts behavior? 2. Persistence: Time between when a behavior first starts until it ends. 3. Direction: Why is behavior directed towards some things and not others? 4. Change: Change of motivation to something else. 5. Termination: Why does behavior stop?

10 unifying themes in the study of motivation

1. Motivation and emotion benefit adaptation ands functioning: Life is constantly changing, enables us to adapt to those changes. 2. Motivation and emotion direct attention: directs our attention to things over other things, what's most important to us. 3. Motivation and emotion are "intervening variables": work together. 4. Motives vary over time and influence the ongoing stream of behavior 5. Types of motivations exist: approach vs. avoidance 6. We are not always consciously aware of the motivation basis of our behavior 7. Motivation study reveals what people want 8. To flourish, motivation needs supportive conditions 9. When trying to motivate others, what is easy to do is rarely what is effective 10. There is nothing so practical as a good theory

Common Misconceptions of Motivation

1. Motivation is a personality trait 2. Motivation = arousal 3. strong correspondence between motivation and performance

Two fundamentals questions in motivation

1. What causes behavior? 2. Why does behavior vary in its intensity?

Areas that motivation knowledge can be applied to...

Workplace, athletics, child rearing, counseling, school, personal benefits.