Question 1

These are mental states that cause people to engage in purposive behavior

Accepted Answer

Motivations are the mental states that cause individuals to engage in purposive (goal-directed) behavior. They are the driving forces behind actions aimed at achieving specific outcomes or fulfilling needs.

Question 2

When you throw your hands up reflexively, to protect your face from a foul ball at a baseball game, your behavior is not motivated because it is not

Accepted Answer

This behavior is motivated by a protective instinct rather than a conscious intention. Throwing your hands up reflexively is an automatic response to protect oneself from perceived danger, such as a foul ball, rather than a deliberate, intentional action.

Question 3

All of the following are defining characteristics of motivated behavior, EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

D

Question 4

The characteristic of motivation that is most difficult to examine empirically is

Accepted Answer

The answer of The characteristic of motivation that is most...

Question 5

Which of the following situations most suggests the existence of unconscious motivation for behavior?

Accepted Answer

Grace's behavior of missing her appointment, despite it being an "accident," suggests an unconscious motivation to avoid an unpleasant situation (going to the doctor), which she consciously dislikes.

Question 6

Which of the following perspectives on psychology would assert that motivation is not an appropriate topic for scientific study?

Accepted Answer

Behaviorists focus on observable behaviors and are less concerned with internal processes like motivation, which cannot be directly observed and measured.

Question 7

Motivation cannot be directly observed, but it may be measured by examining changes in the

Accepted Answer

Motivation influences the intensity and persistence of behavior, as motivated individuals are likely to exert more effort and continue their efforts over time.

Question 8

A person may wish to increase her health, life span, and attractiveness and therefore be motivated to quit smoking. Yet the same person might also want to avoid the extreme discomfort brought on by tobacco withdrawal and therefore be motivated not to quit smoking. Those two conflicting goals will produce

Accepted Answer

Ambivalent motivation occurs when an individual has conflicting desires or goals, such as wanting the benefits of quitting smoking while also wanting to avoid the discomfort of withdrawal. This leads to mixed feelings or uncertainty about pursuing a particular course of action.

Question 9

These behaviors stem from innate, automatic behavioral tendencies that will occur reliably in all members of a species in response to some sort of cue from the environment.

Accepted Answer

Instincts are innate, automatic behaviors that occur in response to specific environmental cues, consistent across all members of a species, fitting the description provided.

Question 10

William James believed that instinctual behavior resulted from specific events. For example, sympathy for a child might instinctually result from the sound of a child's cry. Psychologists refer to the child's cry as a(n)

Accepted Answer

The correct term for a specific event that triggers an instinctual behavior, according to William James's perspective, is a "releasing stimulus." This term is used to describe an external cue that triggers a natural, instinctive behavior, such as the way a child's cry might instinctively trigger a sympathetic response.

Question 11

Which of the following statements about instincts is consistent with James's and McDougall's hypotheses about instincts?

Accepted Answer

James and McDougall viewed instincts as inherent behavioral tendencies that are relatively consistent but can be modified by experience and learning over time.

Question 12

Modern psychologists use this term to refer to instincts such as the rooting reflex in newborns.

Accepted Answer

Fixed-action patterns are instinctive behavioral sequences that are relatively invariant within the species and almost inevitably run to completion once triggered. The rooting reflex in newborns is an example of such an instinctive behavior, where the infant turns its head toward anything that strokes its cheek or mouth, searching for the object by moving its head in steadily decreasing arcs until the object is found.

Question 13

When an explanation consists merely of a label or a description-for example, "he starts fights because he is aggressive"-it is of limited value and can be called

Accepted Answer

This is an example of circular reasoning, where the explanation simply restates the behavior in different terms without providing any underlying cause or rationale.

Question 14

Which of the following statements about instinctual behavior qualifies as a circular explanation?

Accepted Answer

Option D is a circular explanation because it uses the premise (men are more aggressive) to explain the same behavior (interest in action movies) that is supposed to evidence the premise, without providing an independent reason for why men are more aggressive.

Question 15

According to evolutionary psychologists, humans are motivated to seek pleasure in eating, social relationships, sex, and other activities because

Accepted Answer

Evolutionary psychologists argue that behaviors which promoted survival and reproduction in our ancestors are naturally selected for. Thus, activities like eating, socializing, and sex, which directly contribute to survival and the passing on of genes, are inherently pleasurable to encourage their pursuit.

Question 16

According to this early motivational theory, behavior is motivated primarily by the desire to reduce unpleasant conditions of arousal that result from basic physiological needs.

Accepted Answer

Drive theory suggests that behavior is motivated by the desire to reduce internal tension caused by unmet basic physiological needs, leading to actions that will satisfy those needs and restore a state of balance or homeostasis.

Question 17

In psychological theory, drives are

Accepted Answer

Drives are conceptualized in psychology as unpleasant states of arousal that arise from a physiological or psychological need, motivating the individual to engage in behaviors that will reduce the arousal and return the organism to a more balanced state.

Question 18

Drive theory is based on the notion that organisms seek to maintain a steady, consistent, and balanced physiological state, called

Accepted Answer

Drive theory posits that organisms are motivated to take actions that help maintain a stable internal state, known as homeostasis, such as a consistent body temperature or energy level.

Question 19

According to this motivational theory, if arousal levels are too high, as when drives are activated, the organism seeks to reduce arousal. But if they are too low, as during periods of boredom or excessive rest, arousal is actively sought.

Accepted Answer

Optimal arousal theory suggests that there is a level of arousal that is ideal for facilitating goal achievement. According to this theory, if arousal levels are too high, individuals will seek to reduce them, but if they are too low, individuals will seek activities that increase arousal. This theory explains why people engage in activities that either increase or decrease their arousal to optimal levels, depending on their current state.

Question 20

When we are pulled toward something like taking a recreational drug, even if no specific drive or arousal system has been activated to push us there, we are most likely motivated by

Accepted Answer

Incentives refer to external rewards or stimuli that motivate behavior even when internal drives or arousal states are not activated. This concept explains why individuals might be drawn to activities such as recreational drug use for the pleasure or reward they anticipate, rather than to satisfy a basic physiological need or reduce a biological drive.

Quiz 10: Motivation