PSYC 412 EXAM 1 QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED
ANSWERS
Describe Dr. Wininger's research interests - Answers - motivation within academic and
athletic context
Define motivation - Answers - factors underlying the initiation, direction, persistence,
and intensity of behavior
Break down the components of the definition of motivation - Answers - initiate- people
are motivated to start
direction- why people choose a specific approach to their goal
persistence- how long today or total, why do people keep going or give up
intensity- how hard they do what they do (physical conditions goals or people around
you for exercise)
Define motive - Answers - internal experiences that energize an individuals
approach/avoidance techniques
Explain the hierarchy of the four sources of motivation - Answers - internal motives:
needs, cognition, emotions
external motives
means of assessing an individual's level of motivation: behaviorally - Answers -
attention, effort, latency (time between presenting stimulus and engaging with stimulus),
persistence, choice, probability of response, facial expressions, bodily gestures, and
speech (paralanguage-how you say it)
means of assessing an individual's level of motivation physiologically - Answers - brain
activity, cardiovascular activity, hormonal activity, ocular activity, electrodermal activity,
skeletal muscular activity
means of assessing an individual's level of motivation from self report
problems and examples - Answers - problems- social desirability bias, lack of
introspective awareness, retrospective questions, viability with certain populations
Differentiate among the three levels at which one may attempt to approach motivation -
Answers - global- personality and general tendencies
contextual- motivational tendency in/towards specific content
situational- motivation for engaging in a specific activity (at this moment)
, Explain the concept of a theory - Answers - a set of relationships and relationships that
are believed to exist among those variables
purposed: to organize and explain and to generate new knowledge
Explain the concept of "grand theory of motivation" - Answers - 3 of them, wanted one
theory to cover everything, they essentially all failed
(will, instinct, then drive)
Describe the key weakness of "will" as a grand theory of motivation - Answers - it was
like making up a word saying this is what causes it, it doesn't help us predict anything
Explain instinct theory - Answers - genetically programmed bit of behavior that requires
no learning
Darwin's theory defined by McDougall
Provide a concrete example to illustrate the main problem with instinct theory - Answers
- problem- confusing naming with explaining
ex. just giving the name of a product instead of explaining what it is
Provide a concrete example to illustrate Hull's drive theory and relate it to his equation -
Answers - sEr = sHr x D x K
level of motivation = habit strength x internal drive x quality of options you have before
you/external drive
if any of these is 0, your motivation is 0
if you have a strong internal drive to go to the gym, you have a really good gym option
to go to, but you don't get into the habit of going, your motivation will be 0
Identify three reasons for the decline of the drive theories - Answers - the three
assumptions are the decline reasons
emerges from bodily needs, drive reduction is reinforcing and produces learning,
energizes behavior (equate energy with emotion)
Explain how mini-theories differ from grand theories of motivation - Answers - they
explain pieces of motivated behavior and focus on problem solving and application
Discuss the crisis stage of motivation as a field of study and explain positive
consequences of the crisis stage - Answers - we will all face a certain crisis that we
have to face
it contributes to our psychological growth
Define need - Answers - condition that's essential and necessary for life, growth, and
well being
ANSWERS
Describe Dr. Wininger's research interests - Answers - motivation within academic and
athletic context
Define motivation - Answers - factors underlying the initiation, direction, persistence,
and intensity of behavior
Break down the components of the definition of motivation - Answers - initiate- people
are motivated to start
direction- why people choose a specific approach to their goal
persistence- how long today or total, why do people keep going or give up
intensity- how hard they do what they do (physical conditions goals or people around
you for exercise)
Define motive - Answers - internal experiences that energize an individuals
approach/avoidance techniques
Explain the hierarchy of the four sources of motivation - Answers - internal motives:
needs, cognition, emotions
external motives
means of assessing an individual's level of motivation: behaviorally - Answers -
attention, effort, latency (time between presenting stimulus and engaging with stimulus),
persistence, choice, probability of response, facial expressions, bodily gestures, and
speech (paralanguage-how you say it)
means of assessing an individual's level of motivation physiologically - Answers - brain
activity, cardiovascular activity, hormonal activity, ocular activity, electrodermal activity,
skeletal muscular activity
means of assessing an individual's level of motivation from self report
problems and examples - Answers - problems- social desirability bias, lack of
introspective awareness, retrospective questions, viability with certain populations
Differentiate among the three levels at which one may attempt to approach motivation -
Answers - global- personality and general tendencies
contextual- motivational tendency in/towards specific content
situational- motivation for engaging in a specific activity (at this moment)
, Explain the concept of a theory - Answers - a set of relationships and relationships that
are believed to exist among those variables
purposed: to organize and explain and to generate new knowledge
Explain the concept of "grand theory of motivation" - Answers - 3 of them, wanted one
theory to cover everything, they essentially all failed
(will, instinct, then drive)
Describe the key weakness of "will" as a grand theory of motivation - Answers - it was
like making up a word saying this is what causes it, it doesn't help us predict anything
Explain instinct theory - Answers - genetically programmed bit of behavior that requires
no learning
Darwin's theory defined by McDougall
Provide a concrete example to illustrate the main problem with instinct theory - Answers
- problem- confusing naming with explaining
ex. just giving the name of a product instead of explaining what it is
Provide a concrete example to illustrate Hull's drive theory and relate it to his equation -
Answers - sEr = sHr x D x K
level of motivation = habit strength x internal drive x quality of options you have before
you/external drive
if any of these is 0, your motivation is 0
if you have a strong internal drive to go to the gym, you have a really good gym option
to go to, but you don't get into the habit of going, your motivation will be 0
Identify three reasons for the decline of the drive theories - Answers - the three
assumptions are the decline reasons
emerges from bodily needs, drive reduction is reinforcing and produces learning,
energizes behavior (equate energy with emotion)
Explain how mini-theories differ from grand theories of motivation - Answers - they
explain pieces of motivated behavior and focus on problem solving and application
Discuss the crisis stage of motivation as a field of study and explain positive
consequences of the crisis stage - Answers - we will all face a certain crisis that we
have to face
it contributes to our psychological growth
Define need - Answers - condition that's essential and necessary for life, growth, and
well being
