PSYA02H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: Reward System, Parasympathetic Nervous System, Lateral Hypothalamus
52
PSYA02H3 Full Course Notes
Verified Note
52 documents
Document Summary
The study of motivation: concerns the physiological and psychological processes underlying the initiation of behaviours that direct organisms toward specific goals. Drive: a biological trigger that tells us we may be deprived of something and causes us to seek out what is needed (ie. food/ water: when drive satisfied, reward centres in brain are activated. Allostasis: motivation is not only influenced by current needs, but also by the anticipation of future needs. The need to consume nutrients for enough energy involves physiological responses and more complex cognitive and emotional factors. Damaging the ventromedial region removes the off switch and leads to obesity. The hypothalamus has a key function in monitoring blood chemistry for indicators of levels of sugars & hormones involved in energy. It detects changes in levels of glucose: a sugar that serves as a primary energy source for the brain and body: glucostats, highly specialized neurons detect glucose levels in the fluid outside the cell.
