Question 1

Juan is a CEO of Hoola-Hoops, Inc. He sees his employees as lazy, untrustworthy creatures with no interest in their work. Thus, he offers a highly structured, heavily supervised work environment. Juan assumes that his employees are primarily motivated by __________ rewards.

Accepted Answer

Juan assumes that his employees are primarily motivated by extrinsic rewards, such as salary, bonuses, and promotions, since he sees them as lazy and uninterested in their work.

Question 2

Pedro has always been of average weight and build. However, over the past year, his eating habits and his weight have changed drastically. He now seems to eat constantly and has gained over seventy-five pounds. Pedro most likely has damage to his

Accepted Answer

The ventromedial nucleus (VMN) is responsible for controlling satiety and reducing food intake, while damage to this area can lead to hyperphagia, or excessive eating resulting in weight gain. Therefore, Pedro's symptoms suggest damage to his VMN. A) The lateral hypothalamus is responsible for stimulating appetite and damage to this area would lead to decreased appetite and weight loss. B) The thalamus is not directly involved in feeding behavior. D) The paraventricular nucleus is involved in regulating energy balance, but damage to this area alone would not explain Pedro's excessive eating and weight gain.

Question 3

Leon is intrinsically motivated spend hours on gardening tasks. He finds these activities very rewarding and relaxing, and as such, he offers to weed his neighbor's garden and trim the hedges. Accordingly, when he is done with the gardening work, he is most likely to ask his neighbor for

Accepted Answer

Leon is intrinsically motivated, meaning he finds personal satisfaction and enjoyment in the activity itself, so he is likely to ask for nothing in return.

Question 4

After spending an exciting day running around at Lasertron, Jared decides to stay home and watch television rather than going out dancing. Jared's decision to stay home is most consistent with the __________ theory of motivation.

Accepted Answer

The arousal theory of motivation suggests that people are motivated to maintain an optimal level of arousal. After an exciting day, Jared may choose to stay home to lower his arousal level to a more comfortable state.

Question 5

You are a space alien who wishes to conquer Earth. You use a special ray gun that makes humans immobile by making them too fat to move. Your ray gun should __________ in the hypothalamus.

Accepted Answer

The ventromedial nucleus is responsible for controlling satiety and stopping eating behavior when an individual is full. If it is destroyed, a person will eat excessively and become overweight. Therefore, stimulating this area would not immobilize humans. The lateral hypothalamus is responsible for hunger and stimulating it would actually increase appetite and movement, so destroying it would not work either. The thalamus is not involved in appetite regulation. By destroying the ventromedial nucleus, the ray gun would cause humans to overeat and become too fat to move, thus achieving the alien's goal of immobilizing them.

Question 6

Even though Meghan and Rennie are sisters, their bodies have different set points. Their individual set points for maintaining homeostasis are affected by all of the following except

Accepted Answer

Androgen levels primarily influence male characteristics and reproductive activity, and are not directly involved in regulating set points for body weight and food intake, which are more directly influenced by brain regions like the hypothalamus.

Question 7

Anu has just finished watching a movie about cement mixing that she thought was long and boring. According to the arousal theory of motivation, Anu will most likely __________ next.

Accepted Answer

According to the arousal theory of motivation, after experiencing low arousal or boredom, individuals are motivated to seek out stimulating or exciting activities to increase their arousal level. Therefore, Anu will most likely do something exciting after watching the long and boring movie about cement mixing.

Question 8

Dr. Luze-Moore is working on a drug that will curb people's appetite for high-fat foods. Based on your reading of the textbook, Dr. Luze-Moore would do best to focus on a way to block the stimulation of what neurotransmitter?

Accepted Answer

Galanin is a neurotransmitter that is known to stimulate the appetite for high-fat foods. Blocking its stimulation could help reduce the craving for such foods.

Question 9

Tweety Bird is tired of being chased by Sylvester, the Cat, who wants to eat Tweety for dinner. Tweety could reduce Sylvester's desire to eat by

Accepted Answer

The lateral hypothalamus is responsible for regulating hunger and feeding behavior, so destroying Sylvester's lateral hypothalamus would decrease his desire to eat Tweety. However, destroying his ventromedial nucleus, which is involved in satiety and stopping feeding behavior, would likely have the opposite effect and increase Sylvester's desire to eat Tweety. Stimulating either area would also likely increase Sylvester's desire to eat, so A and B are not the best choices.

Question 10

When Lani has an unpleasant task to complete, such as writing a term paper, she sets up rewards for herself. When she completes her outline, she watches TV for one hour. When she completes the rough draft, she spends an evening relaxing with her friends. When she finishes the final draft, she goes to the mall and purchases a CD she has been wanting. The __________ best explains Lani's behavior.

Accepted Answer

Lani's behavior is best explained by the incentive theory, which suggests that behavior is motivated by a desire for rewards or incentives. She sets up rewards for herself to motivate the completion of her tasks.

Question 11

Geoff, a basketball player for City High School, sinks thirty straight free throws during practice. However, during the critical game of the season, with the score tied and twenty seconds left to play, Geoff misses three consecutive free throws. Geoff's behavior can be best explained by __________ theory.

Accepted Answer

Arousal theory suggests that individuals have an optimal level of arousal that is necessary to perform well. In this case, during practice, Geoff may have been underaroused and thus easily able to sink thirty free throws in a row. However, during the game, with high stakes and pressure, Geoff may have become overaroused, leading to his missed free throws.

Question 12

Jerry is severely overweight. He asks his doctor whether injections of the hormone called leptin would be an effective treatment for his obesity. His doctor will probably inform him that a leptin injection

Accepted Answer

Although leptin is a hormone that plays a role in regulating body fat, research has shown that injections of leptin are not very effective in reducing weight for most obese individuals. This may be because many obese individuals are resistant to leptin, meaning that their bodies do not respond to it as effectively as they should. Therefore, Jerry's doctor would likely inform him that a leptin injection is not a highly effective treatment for obesity.

Question 13

Karl wants to get straight As in school because his parents have promised to buy him a new car if he does so. This is an illustration of the __________ of motivation.

Accepted Answer

The promise of a new car serves as an incentive for Karl to work hard and get straight As, which falls under the incentive theory of motivation. Arousal theory suggests that individuals seek an optimal level of stimulation, drive reduction theory proposes that physiological needs drive behavior, and instinct doctrine suggests that behavior is driven by innate instincts. None of these theories directly apply to Karl's situation.

Question 14

One of the theories of motivation discussed in your textbook is the incentive theory. In this model, an incentive is roughly the equivalent of a(n)________.

Accepted Answer

An incentive is a reward that motivates an individual to perform a certain action.

Question 15

The textbook notes that the idea of a hunger "set point" can be thought of as a(n)"__________" that operates in the human body.

Accepted Answer

The concept of a hunger "set point" is often compared to a "fat thermostat" because it suggests that the body regulates hunger and energy expenditure to maintain a certain level of body fat, similar to how a thermostat regulates temperature.

Question 16

Rory and Dory are identical twin rats. The lateral area of Rory's hypothalamus was destroyed in a tragic exercise wheel accident. The ventromedial nucleus of Dory's hypothalamus has an electrode implanted in it that is constantly stimulating that part of her brain. This situation has existed for a week now. How does Rory's weight compare to Dory's?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Rory and Dory are identical twin rats....

Question 17

The hormone leptin is an important chemical in signaling information about satiety (or feeling satisfied when eating)to the brain. Leptin comes from the Greek word for "________."

Accepted Answer

Leptin comes from the Greek word "leptos," which means "thin" or "slender."

Question 18

Kenny and Stanley have a big English exam coming up soon. To encourage him to study, Kenny's mom promises him he can watch ten minutes of cartoons for every hour he spends studying. Stanley's mom tells him that he can spend ten minutes reading Crime and Punishment for every hour he studies. Both boys study for more than ten hours and get As on the exam. Which of the following theories best explains the fact that both students spent a great deal of time studying in spite of the fact that they were rewarded so differently?

Accepted Answer

Incentive theory suggests that behavior is motivated by a desire for rewards. Both Kenny and Stanley were motivated to study by the promise of a reward, even though the rewards were different.

Question 19

Sabrina is trying to lose weight with a low-carbohydrate diet. She knows this is an effective short-term plan, but she finds herself craving everything that contains carbohydrates. The brain chemical responsible for her cravings is

Accepted Answer

Neuropeptide Y is a brain chemical that stimulates appetite and cravings, particularly for carbohydrates.

Question 20

Mario takes a drug for Restless Thumb Syndrome. One side effect of the drug is the stimulation of the paraventricular nucleus of his hypothalamus. As a result, Mario should anticipate that he will

Accepted Answer

The answer of Mario takes a drug for Restless Thumb...

Quiz 8: Motivation and Emotion