PSYC 2230 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Behaviorism, Long-Term Memory, Balance Theory
10 Jan 2018
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Document Summary
Motivation - the concept we use when we describe the forces acting on or within an organism to initiate and direct behavior. When enough motivation is present, behavior is performed; when motivation is too low, behavior is absent. Motivation as a performance variable is often contrasted with learning, where more permanent changes in behavior occur (although learning obviously also influences performance). The activating property of motivation, or activation, is most easily seen in the production of behavior. Activation factors in motivation: overt responding behaviors may or may not be the determination factor of present of motivation. Directionality - often considered an index of motivational state. Idiographic approach- proposes that we can understand behavior by looking at how people differ from each other, that is, by examining those properties that make each person unique. Nomothetic approach involves the development of general or universal laws. Typically, research of this type studies groups of people or animals and determines how they are similar.
