PSYA02H3 Chapter 13: Chapter13 textbook notes
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PSYA02H3 Full Course Notes
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Motivation refers to a driving force that moves us to a particular action. Motivation is a general term for a group of phenomena that affect the nature of an individual"s behavior, the strength of the behavior and the persistence of the behavior. When we speak casually of motivation, we tend to describe it in terms of goals. We behave in a particular way to get something (or to avoid something, in the case of a possible criminal hitchhiker) In that case, motivation is proactive, or forward-looking. However, in the case of the tennis player with the headache, motivation is also reactive, or in response to conditions present at the time. The proactive sense of motivation is very similar to concepts of reinforcement. We are motivated to perform a behavior to gain (or avoid losing) a reinforcer or to avoid (or escape from) an aversive event. Biological needs can be very potent motivators.
