Psychology / Unit 8: Motivation and Emotion
8.1 Theories of Motivation
Notes
Motivation is the force that starts, directs and keeps behavior going.
- Instinct theory: behavior is driven by inborn patterns. Drive-reduction theory: a need creates a drive (hunger) and we act to reduce it, restoring homeostasis (balance).
- Arousal theory: people seek an optimal level of arousal. Yerkes-Dodson law: performance is best at moderate arousal, with the best level lower for hard tasks.
- Incentive theory: rewards and goals pull behavior.
- Intrinsic motivation: doing something because it is enjoyable or meaningful. Extrinsic motivation: doing it for rewards or to avoid punishment. Too many external rewards can sometimes reduce intrinsic interest (overjustification effect).
- Self-determination theory: people need autonomy, competence and relatedness.
Practice
Eli plays guitar every day because he loves it, with no prizes involved. This is:
Enjoyment of the activity itself is intrinsic motivation.
A person feels thirsty and drinks water to restore balance. This best fits:
A need creates a drive, and the person acts to reduce it.
According to the Yerkes-Dodson law, performance is generally best when arousal is:
Moderate arousal is best for most tasks.
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