Which theoretical perspective of motivation focuses on finding the optimum levels of stimulation?

Q: Which arousal theory suggests that there is an optimal level of arousal for optimal performance?

The Yerkes-Dodson law is the theory that theres an optimal level of arousal that results in optimal performance. Too little arousal doesnt provide much in the way of motivation.

This unit is about motivation. It identifies and applies motivational concepts to understand behavior of humans and animals🧑‍🤝‍🧑🐻. It talks about the strengths and weaknesses between theories and the most basic primary needs: physiological, social, and sexual.

Inhaltsverzeichnis Show

Motivational Concepts
Different Theories
Instinct Theory (evolutionary)
Drive-reduction Theory (biological)
Optimal Arousal Theory
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
What is an arousal state that occurs because of a physiological need?
What is the main idea of drive theory?
Who proposed that performance on a task is affected by the amount of physiological arousal in the body?
Which of the following is an assumption of arousal theory?
Which theory focuses on finding the optimal level of stimulation?
Which theoretical perspective of motivation focuses on how we respond to your inner pushes?
What is optimum arousal theory?
Which arousal theory suggests that there is an optimal level of arousal for optimal performance?

Nội dung chính

Motivational Concepts
Different Theories
Instinct Theory (evolutionary)
Drive-reduction Theory (biological)
Optimal Arousal Theory
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
What is an arousal state that occurs because of a physiological need?
What is the main idea of drive theory?
Who proposed that performance on a task is affected by the amount of physiological arousal in the body?
Which of the following is an assumption of arousal theory?

Motivational Concepts

Motivation is something that directs a behavior. For example, if you want to get a good grade on the AP Psych exam in May, you are motivated to study 💯 You're probably very familiar with motivation, but it goes deeper than you think and basically exists in every action you do.

Before going through the theories, let's discuss some vocab terms:

Instincts are behaviors that occur unconsciously because they usually just "feel right."
Incentives drive us toward or away from the behavior we want. The incentive could either be a positive stimulus or a negative stimulus, but either way, it impacts our behavior🚶
Intrinsic motivation is when you are doing something for yourself. An example of this would be reading just because you love to read ❤️📖
Extrinsic motivation is when you are doing something for an external factor. Using the above example, if you read just to fulfill a summer assignment ✔️📖, you were extrinsically motivated.
- Having intrinsic motivation is stronger and drives you farther since it is something you, yourself, are genuinely interested in.
The overjustification effect is when an external factor decreases one's intrinsic motivation to complete a certain task. For example, if you began to learn French on your own time and then came across a really good job offer that requires French, you may now begin to learn French just for the job, rather than yourself💰

Image Courtesy of Sites at Penn State.

Self-Efficacy:
- High self-efficacy is the belief that someone can complete a task successfully. This usually goes hand in hand with high intrinsic motivation and accepting challenges along the way.
- Low self-efficacy is being uncertain that you can master a task and goes hand in hand with low intrinsic motivation. You don't feel as interested in learning the task, so you are unsure if you will be good at it. Having low self-efficacy leads to giving up and avoiding obstacles.

Different Theories

Many different theories about motivation developed over time. Let's discuss them!

Instinct Theory (evolutionary)

This theory has to do with Charles Darwin's principle of natural selection that stated that those that are best adapted to their environments are most likely to mate and survive. Therefore, the motivation in this theory is to survive and we, as well as animals, adapt behaviors that help us live 💕

Example	Strength of Theory 👍	Weakness of Theory 👎
All babies display innate reflexes like rooting and sucking	It helps explain similarities due to our ancestral past.	It helps explain animal behaviors better than human behaviors.

Drive-reduction Theory (biological)

This theory focuses on how our inner pushes and external pulls interact to drive our behaviors.

Push Factors: Motivate us to get away from bad things
Pull Factors: Motivate us to work toward good things

We have our need, drives, and behaviors. Our physiological needs create a tensional state that motivates an organism to satisfy that need by doing a certain behavior.

By doing this behavior, we should reach homeostasis, which is a steady internal state.

Example	Strength of Theory👍	Weakness of Theory👎
When you need food, you become hungry, and then you cook yourself something to make the feeling of hunger go away.	It explains our motivation to reduce arousal by meeting basic needs, hunger, or thirst.	It doesn't explain why some motivated behaviors increase arousal.

Image Courtesy of Myers' AP Psychology Textbook 2nd Edition.

Optimal Arousal Theory

The optimal arousal theory focuses on finding the right level of stimulation. An organism tries to find behaviors that actually increase arousal because everything else bores them.

Example	Strength of Theory👍	Weakness of Theory👎
Being bored and getting yourself into trouble just because you needed to find something to do. Another example is "Curiosity kills the cat" and you just wanna try something new that excites you!	It explains that motivated behavior may increase or decrease arousal.	It doesn't explain our motivation to address our more complex social needs.

Yerkes-Dodson law

The Yerkes-Dodson law suggests moderate arousal can lead to optimal performance. With this being said, you've probably experienced the law in real life.

If you were ever way too relaxed 😴 when taking an exam or way too stressed 😟, I bet you noticed a decrease in your exam performance. However, if you are moderately aroused so much that you are aware and alert, you will obtain a higher score.

💡Tip—The Yerkes-Dodson Law is very different from the optimal arousal theory. It focuses more on the relationship between performance and arousal.

Image Courtesy of ResearchGate.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow came up with a theory based on needs. The first level of needs focuses on fulfilling basic, physiological needs. Once they are met, the focus shifts to more cognitive and abstract needs.

From the bottom to the top, the pyramid reads:

💧🍔Physiological needs (air, food, and water)
🏠Safety (shelter, place to live)
💕Belongingness (love, a connection with someone or something)
😍Self esteem (loving yourself)
🏆Self actualization (achieving any goal you set your mind to).
- Reaching self-actualization is nearly impossible. To do this, you would have to find meaning beyond yourself.

Image Courtesy of Simply Psychology.

Strength of this Theory	Weakness of this Theory
It incorporates the idea that we have levels of various needs.	The order of needs may change depending on the circumstance of the person.

🎥 Watch: AP Psychology—Motivations

Resources:

What is an arousal state that occurs because of a physiological need?

Instinct. innate (unlearned) biological pattern of behavior that is assumed to be universal throughout a species. Drives. an aroused state that occurs because of a physiological need.

What is the main idea of drive theory?

The drive theory is based on the concept of homeostasis, or the idea that the body actively works to maintain a certain state of balance or equilibrium. This theory is useful in explaining behaviors that have a strong biological or physiological component, such as hunger or thirst.

Who proposed that performance on a task is affected by the amount of physiological arousal in the body?

Researchers Robert Yerkes and John Dodson studied the relationship between the level of arousal and performance in a task, and their finding is known as the Yerkes-Dodson Law. The Yerkes-Dodson Law states that for easy tasks, the higher the level of physiological or mental arousal, the higher the performance.

Which of the following is an assumption of arousal theory?

The basic assumption of the optimal arousal theory of motivation is that environmental factors influence our brain's level of arousal. We engage in certain actions for the purpose of attaining an optimal arousal level by either decreasing or increasing the amount and type of stimulation received from the environment.

Which theory focuses on finding the optimal level of stimulation?

Arousal theory focuses on finding the right level of stimulation. And Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs describes how some of our needs take priority over others.

Which theoretical perspective of motivation focuses on how we respond to your inner pushes?

Drive-reduction theory focuses on how we respond to our inner pushes.

What is optimum arousal theory?

Optimal arousal theory posits that there is an ideal level of anxiety or stress that leads to peak performance. This level is different for every individual, and can change depending on the task at hand. Too much or too little arousal will lead to suboptimal performance.

Which arousal theory suggests that there is an optimal level of arousal for optimal performance?

The Yerkes-Dodson law is the theory that there's an optimal level of arousal that results in optimal performance. Too little arousal doesn't provide much in the way of motivation.