Study guides › P/S › Psychology
Motivation, Emotion & Stress
This chapter explains why we act, how emotions arise, which brain structures are involved, and how the body responds to stress. You will match theories and theorists to scenarios and read the Yerkes-Dodson and stress-response curves.
Study this chapter in PrepMed (free)
What this chapter covers
- Theories of Motivation. Motivation theories are easy points if you can tell them apart by what each says pushes or pulls behavior.
- Theories of Emotion. The three classic emotion theories differ in the order of events, so learn each as a sequence and match it to a scenario.
- The Brain, Emotion & Hunger. Know what each limbic structure does, since MCAT questions hand you a patient with damage and ask you to name the structure.
- Stress: Response, Health & Coping. Stress questions test Selye's three stages, the hormone pathways, and whether a coping style is problem-focused or emotion-focused.
Key points to know
- Drive reduction: need creates drive; goal is homeostasis
- Yerkes-Dodson: inverted U; easy tasks peak at higher arousal
- James-Lange: arousal first, emotion is the perception of it
- Cannon-Bard: arousal and emotion simultaneous, via the thalamus
- Amygdala: fear and emotional memory; hippocampus: new explicit memory
- Lateral hypothalamus starts eating; ventromedial hypothalamus stops it
- GAS order: alarm, resistance, exhaustion
- HPA axis: hypothalamus (CRH), anterior pituitary (ACTH), adrenal cortex (cortisol)
Try a practice question
Which theory holds that behavior is driven by the need to reduce internal tension caused by unmet biological needs?
- Incentive theory
- Arousal theory
- Drive-reduction theory
- Self-determination theory
Show the answer
C. Drive-reduction theory (Hull) links need to drive to homeostasis. Incentive theory emphasizes external pull, and arousal theory stresses seeking optimal stimulation.
Common questions
What does this chapter cover?
Motivation, Emotion & Stress covers Theories of Motivation, Theories of Emotion, The Brain, Emotion & Hunger, Stress: Response, Health & Coping.
What should I know first?
Drive reduction: need creates drive; goal is homeostasis Yerkes-Dodson: inverted U; easy tasks peak at higher arousal James-Lange: arousal first, emotion is the perception of it
20 original practice questions accompany this chapter in the app. Spaced review brings missed ideas back at the right time; it helps memory but cannot promise you will not miss an idea again.