motivation
a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 390)
instinct
a complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 391)
drive-reduction theory
the idea that a physiological need creates an aroused tension state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 391)
homeostasis
a tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 391)
incentive
a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 392)
Yerkes-Dodson law
the principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases.(Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 392)
hierarchy of needs
Maslow's pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied before higher-level safety needs and then psychological needs become active. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 393)
glucose
the form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major source of energy for body tissues. When its level is low, we feel hunger. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 397)
set point
the point at which an individual's "weight thermostat" is supposedly set. When the body falls below this weight, an increase in hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may act to restore the lost weight. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 398)
basal metabolic rate
the body's resting rate of energy expenditure. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 398)
sexual response cycle
the four stages of sexual responding described by Masters and Johnson�excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 406)
refractory period
(2) a resting period after orgasm, during which a man cannot achieve another. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 407)
sexual dysfunction
a problem that consistently impairs sexual arousal or functioning. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 407)
estrogens
sex hormones, such as estradiol, secreted in greater amounts by females than by males and contributing to female sex characteristics. In nonhuman female mammals, estrogen levels peak during ovulation, promoting sexual receptivity. (Myers Psychology for AP
testosterone
the most important of the male sex hormones. Both males and females have it, but the additional testosterone in males stimulates the growth of the male sex organs in the fetus and the development of the male sex characteristics during puberty. (Myers Psyc
emotion
a response of the whole organism, involving (1) physiological arousal, (2) expressive behaviors, and (3) conscious experience. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 421)
James-Lange theory
the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 421)
Cannon-Bard theory
the theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers (1) physiological responses and (2) the subjective experience of emotion. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 422)
two-factor theory
the Schachter-Singer theory that to experience emotion one must (1) be physically aroused and (2) cognitively label the arousal. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 422)
polygraph
a machine, commonly used in attempts to detect lies, that measures several of the physiological responses (such as perspiration and cardiovascular and breathing changes) accompanying emotion. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 428)
facial feedback effect
the tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings such as fear, anger, or happiness. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 438)
health psychology
a subfield of psychology that provides psychology's contribution to behavioral medicine. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e pp. 439, 856)
stress
the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 442)
general adaptation syndrome (GAS)
Selye's concept of the body's adaptive response to stress in three phases�alarm, resistance, exhaustion. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 444)
tend and befriend
under stress, people (especially women) often provide support to others (tend) and bond with and seek support from others (befriend). (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 445)
psychophysiological illness
literally, "mind-body" illness; any stress-related physical illness, such as hypertension and some headaches. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 448)
psychoneuroimmunology
the study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together affect the immune system and resulting health. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 448)
lymphocytes
the two types of white blood cells that are part of the body's immune system: B lymphocytes form in the bone marrow and release antibodies that fight bacterial infections; T lymphocytes form in the thymus and other lymphatic tissue and attack cancer cells
coronary heart disease
the clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle; the leading cause of death in many developed countries. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 451)
Type A
Friedman and Rosenman's term for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 452)
Type B
Friedman and Rosenman's term for easygoing, relaxed people. (Myers Psychology for AP 2e p. 452)