Deck 11: Motivation

Question 1

Psychologists using the concept of motivation have suggested that

A) biological mechanisms are unrelated to motivation.
B) actions may be internally or externally motivated.
C) people are always responsible for their actions.
D) motivation may help initiate behavior, but it cannot prolong it.

Answer 1

actions may be internally or externally motivated.

Question 2

The theory that much important behavior is motivated by internal drives was most fully developed by

A) Clark Hull.
B) Julian Rotter.
C) Fritz Heider.
D) Michael Apter.

Answer 2

Clark Hull.

Question 3

In Clark Hull's conceptualization of motivation, emphasis was placed on the role of

A) social approval.
B) tension reduction.
C) achievement need.
D) sex.

Answer 3

tension reduction.

Question 4

Reinforcement by tension reduction is best exemplified by a

A) boy riding his bike and whistling on a sunny day while enjoying the treasures of nature.
B) lion that has not caught any prey for two days.
C) bear that has quenched its thirst after many hours of searching for water.
D) hawk searching for rodents during the heat of midday.

Question 5

All of the following ideas are consistent with Clark Hull's view EXCEPT that

A) drives activate the organism.
B) behavior ceases when drives are satisfied or reduced.
C) primary drives are biologically based.
D) the presence of tension is reinforcing.

Question 6

In the context of motivation, homeostasis refers to

A) a state of equilibrium in internal bodily conditions.
B) unpleasant internal feelings that inspire behavior.
C) an imbalance associated with tension.
D) an organism's innate physiological needs.

Question 7

Suppose a rat has been deprived of food or water. According to a tension reduction explanation of motivated behavior, when placed in a novel environment with food and water, the rat should eat and drink at its first opportunity. When actually placed in such an environment, research described in the chapter suggests that the rat will

A) eat only.
B) drink only.
C) immediately eat and drink.
D) first explore the environment.

Question 8

A manager doesn't particularly like his job, but he works hard anyway because he is well-paid. The money he receives as a reward for his behavior is called a(n)

A) drive.
B) need.
C) incentive.
D) instinct.

Question 9

Imagine you are a student studying psychology at the end of the 1800s. You go to a lecture presented by William James. Which statement would you most expect to hear regarding James' view of human behavior?

A) There is no such thing as an instinct.
B) Instincts exist only in nonhuman animals.
C) Although some instincts exist in humans, they are generally unimportant.
D) Humans rely even more on instinctual behavior than other animals.

Question 10

While scanning the shelves in a library, you notice a book written in the 1920s. If you opened it up to look for the chapter on motivation, you would be most likely to find that psychologists

A) had not yet discovered the concept of motivation.
B) believed that most animal behavior is instinctually motivated, but that human behavior is not.
C) had compiled a list of 10,000 human instincts.
D) were focusing on the role of expectations in motivating behavior.

Question 11

The work of anthropologists Ruth Benedict and Margaret Mead

A) gained greater acceptance for the view that certain instincts were universal to all humans.
B) contradicted the proposition that certain instincts were universal to all humans.
C) concentrated on animal instincts only.
D) was discredited by psychologists because it was anthropological, not psychological research.

Question 12

One reason that psychologists abandoned the view of instinct as a universal explanation of human behavior is that

A) Freud's popular theory rejected the importance of instinct.
B) there had been little success in generating a list of human instincts.
C) the behaviorist influence began to diminish in the 1920s.
D) cross-cultural studies found enormous behavioral variation.

Question 13

A student studies more than his roommate for an upcoming test. A behaviorist would explain the difference in behavior between the roommates as a matter of

A) differences in level of motivation.
B) willpower.
C) motivational strength.
D) differences in reinforcement histories.

Question 14

Suppose you are studying for an upcoming test in your psychology class. According to Julian Rotter, the amount of effort you will put into your studies will be determined

A) just by your expectation that you will get a good grade.
B) just by your interpretation of how important it is to get a good grade.
C) both by your expectation that you will get a good grade and the personal value of getting a good grade.
D) by a combination of learned and instinctive behaviors.

Question 15

In the context of the social learning theory of Julian Rotter, when a person experiences a discrepancy between expectations and reality, he or she will

A) lose motivation.
B) be motivated to reduce the discrepancy.
C) become disturbed and emotionally upset, but not motivated.
D) change expectations but not reality.

Question 16

According to Fritz Heider, behavioral outcomes can be attributed to two types of forces,

A) romantic or mercenary.
B) behavioral or physiological.
C) dispositional or situational.
D) attentional or retentional.

Question 17

A student believes that her inability to make the cheerleading team is due to a coach who is biased. According to Fritz Heider, she will probably

A) try even harder next time she tries out for the team.
B) not be affected by this experience.
C) make an attribution to dispositional forces next time.
D) give up trying to make the cheerleading team.

Question 18

In Fritz Heider's motivational scheme, believing that a poor grade was due to your general lack of intelligence would be an example of a(n) ________ attribution.

A) attentional
B) achievement
C) dispositional
D) situational

Question 19

According to Maslow's theory of motivation, a person will not be motivated to love and be loved until they have satisfied ________ needs.

A) biological and safety
B) esteem
C) self-actualization
D) cognitive and esthetic

Question 20

Sequence the needs in Maslow's hierarchy of basic motives from the lowest to the highest:

A) biological, safety, attachment, esteem, self-actualization
B) biological, attachment, safety, self-actualization, esteem
C) attachment, self-actualization, esteem, safety, biological
D) self-actualization, biological, attachment, safety, esteem

Question 21

Which statement best captures the view of the textbook with respect to Maslow's theory of motivation?

A) Although the theory is a positive one, its strict hierarchy may break down in some circumstances.
B) The theory is not useful in helping people to understand different aspects of their motivational experiences.
C) Maslow's theory presents a view of human nature that is too downbeat and pessimistic.
D) The only aspect of the theory that has been supported is the idea of a strict hierarchy of needs.

Question 22

Maslow's strict hierarchy breaks down under which one of the following circumstances?

A) You skip a meal so that you can help out a friend.
B) You travel to visit your aunt in another town and find her gone to attend to a family emergency. You first satisfy your hunger, and then you look for a safe motel to spend the night.
C) After getting a job, you start helping socially disadvantaged persons.
D) You get a good job, which also provides time to devote to your other passion in life, painting.

Question 23

As part of the test of whether gastric activity in an empty stomach was the sole basis for hunger, Walter Cannon

A) had a student swallow an inflatable balloon.
B) removed the stomach of a human volunteer.
C) deprived volunteers of particularly tasty foods.
D) allowed volunteers to eat bad-tasting cookies.

Question 24

Based on his pioneering research on hunger, Walter Cannon concluded that

A) peripheral cues for hunger are secondary to central brain mechanisms.
B) pressure stimulates the production of enzymes in the stomach.
C) stomach cramps are responsible for hunger.
D) stomach cramps are a necessary cue, but not a sufficient cue for hunger.

Question 25

Evidence that stomach contractions are not responsible for hunger comes from studies showing that

A) injections of sugar into the bloodstream will stop both stomach contractions and hunger.
B) people with their stomachs removed still experience hunger.
C) rats without stomachs will not learn mazes when rewarded with food.
D) gastric distension caused by an inflated balloon will cause a person to end a meal.

Question 26

Perhaps you have noticed that, as a meal progresses, even favorite foods you are eating become less and less tasty. Psychologists call this phenomenon

A) sensory-specific satiety.
B) peripheral-distortion.
C) central-control eating.
D) habituation-overload.

Question 27

The part of the brain that is most involved in eating behavior is the

A) amygdala.
B) reticular-activating system.
C) hypothalamus.
D) hippocampus.

Question 28

One complicating factor for the early dual-center model of eating was that when the ventromedial hypothalamus was lesioned,

A) animals would lose their sense of taste, causing all foods to taste bad.
B) the heavier animals would overeat and the lighter animals would avoid food.
C) the lighter animals would overeat and the heavier animals would avoid food.
D) whether animals overate or avoided food was dependent on the taste of the food.

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT one of the chemicals in the body that plays a role in regulating eating behaviors?

A) melatonin
B) insulin
C) leptin
D) cholecystokinin (CCK)

Question 30

Research has found that higher levels of _________ in the blood actually act to inhibit eating.

A) serotonin
B) leptin
C) norepinephrine
D) thyroxin

Question 31

Individuals with BMIs of 25 and above are considered overweight, and those with BMIs of 30 above are considered obese. By those standards roughly ________ percent of adults in the USA are overweight, and ________ percent of adults in the USA are obese.

A) 34; 39
B) 62; 71
C) 40; 60
D) 50; 50

Question 32

To determine who is overweight and who is obese, researchers use a measure called the

A) obesity index.
B) body fat index.
C) body mass index.
D) overweight/underweight scale.

Question 33

Early research on the psychological aspects of eating suggested that overweight individuals ignore the cues their bodies give them when food is available and prominent. This theory was modified, however, because

A) it was shown that biological predispositions to being overweight better explained weight problems.
B) weight itself does not always predict eating patterns.
C) the early theories did not take resting metabolic rate into account.
D) identical twins reared apart are rarely both overweight.

Question 34

Janet Polivy and Peter Herman have suggested that the critical dimension underlying the psychology of eating behaviors is

A) self-indulgence versus self-denial.
B) heredity versus environment.
C) restrained versus unrestrained eating.
D) powerfulness versus powerlessness.

Question 35

A friend says that he is a restrained eater and is constantly dieting. At the same time, he seems to be gaining weight. If you research this apparent contradiction, you will learn that restrained eaters tend to gain weight because they

A) tend to use food as a way to compensate for their feelings of inadequacy.
B) are more prone to suffering from stress and eat in order to relieve anxiety.
C) will binge-eat when they lose their restraints.
D) suffer from abnormally low metabolism.

Question 36

All you know about a person is that she is a restrained eater. It is most likely that she will become disinhibited with respect to her restraints when she

A) is made aware of high calorie food items.
B) believes that she can consume food without anyone seeing her.
C) is in the presence of other restrained eaters.
D) feels stress about her capabilities and self-esteem.

Question 37

Research suggests that social context is an important external cue that affects people's eating. Researchers suggest that which of the following social interventions could help overweight children eat less?

A) encouraging children to eat alone
B) encouraging children to "graze"
C) returning to circumstances in which children eat in the presence of others
D) providing continual verbal reminders that the children are eating too much

Question 38

In a study of restrained and unrestrained eaters described in the textbook, when restrained eaters believed that they had been given an "extra large" slice of pizza, what happened?

A) Those same eaters consumed more chocolate chip cookies than people who believed they had eaten a regular slice of pizza.
B) Those same eaters consumed fewer chocolate chip cookies than people who believed they had eaten a regular slice of pizza.
C) Those same eaters were unwilling to eat any chocolate chip cookies because they believed they had already "had enough."
D) Those same eaters rated the pizza as tasting much better than chocolate chip cookies in order to justify having eaten such a large slice.

Question 39

All of the following are true of anorexia nervosa EXCEPT that

A) the individual weighs less than 85 percent of his or her expected weight.
B) there is an intense fear of becoming fat.
C) it may, in very serious instances, lead to death.
D) its occurrence is equally likely in men and women.

Question 40

A woman engages in out-of-control eating, during which she may consume massive amounts of calories. Afterwards, feeling depressed, she will attempt to purge her body of these calories by vomiting. Although she is of average weight, she nevertheless feels uncomfortable with her appearance. The woman most likely suffers from

A) anorexia nervosa.
B) bulimia nervosa.
C) anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
D) compulsive eating disorder.

Question 41

When a study looked at the fMRI scans of women who had anorexia nervosa, the researchers found that

A) there were no differences between the fMRI scans for women with and without anorexia.
B) fMRI scans showed greater activation for both groups in areas that allow people to have accurate perceptions of the external world.
C) women with anorexia showed less activity in brain regions that allow people to obtain accurate information from the outside world.
D) women who did not have anorexia showed less activation in areas of the brain that allow people to form accurate perceptions of the outside world.

Question 42

In a study comparing women with and without anorexia, differences in brain scans

A) occurred when the women were looking at images of others.
B) occurred when the women were looking at self-images.
C) did not occur.
D) occurred in a random pattern. A predominant percentage of women misperceived images of themselves.

Question 43

Suppose that groups of young Black and White women are asked to rate photographs of thin, average, and large models on dimensions such as attractiveness, and to rate themselves on how comfortable they are with their own body sizes. It is most likely that the ________ females will give the large models lower ratings and the ________ women will be more comfortable with their own body sizes.

A) White; Black
B) White; White
C) Black; White
D) Black; Black

Question 44

There have been relatively few studies of racial and ethnic differences in the presence of eating disorders, but so far the research suggests that eating disturbances are

A) more frequent in Black and Asian Americans than Whites, but equally common among Hispanic females as Whites.
B) more frequent in Black, Asian Americans and Hispanic females than Whites.
C) less frequent in Black and Asian Americans and Hispanic females than Whites.
D) less frequent in Black and Asian Americans than Whites, but equally common among Hispanic females as Whites.

Question 45

In males, the hormones known as ________ control sexual arousal; in females the hormone that serves a similar purpose is known as ________.

A) androgens; androgen
B) estrogens; estrogen
C) androgens; estrogen
D) estrogens; androgen

Question 46

With respect to sexual arousal in nonhuman animals, research supports all of the following EXCEPT that

A) ritualized display patterns may be a necessary condition for sexual responses.
B) the presence of a novel female often renews the interest of sexually-satiated males.
C) the presence of pheromones signals that females are not receptive to sexual advances.
D) touch and taste can serve as external stimulants for sexual arousal.

Question 47

As the Atlantic molly expert, you have been asked to predict a male Atlantic molly's mate selection when exposed to two females of different sizes, who have or have not been observed in the presence of other male Atlantic mollies. On the basis of a study described in the textbook, you should predict that the male Atlantic molly will choose the female

A) that is larger.
B) that has been left alone.
C) that has been observed with another male.
D) that is more active in the water.

Question 48

Suppose you were an assistant in the sexual research laboratory of William Masters and Virginia Johnson. You would be primarily involved in helping them to

A) design written questionnaires to be administered to married couples.
B) conduct controlled laboratory observations of human sexual responses.
C) study the stereotyped mating behaviors of laboratory rats and monkeys.
D) do crisis counseling with victims of sexual abuse.

Question 49

During the ________ phase of the human sexual response cycle, the penis becomes erect and the clitoris swells.

A) excitement
B) plateau
C) orgasm
D) resolution

Question 50

The male and female sexual responses differ in that

A) a man's blood pressure drops during orgasm whereas at the same time blood pressure rises in women.
B) the maximum level of arousal is reached in the excitement phase for men and during the plateau phase in women.
C) women are more likely to enter a refractory period following orgasm.
D) women are more capable of experiencing multiple orgasms in fairly rapid succession.

Question 51

One of the most important discoveries that emerged from Masters and Johnson's research on sexual responding was that

A) erotic stimuli are entirely psychological.
B) problems in sexual responding are almost always physiological in nature.
C) psychological processes play a role in both sexual arousal and sexual satisfaction.
D) therapy is likely to be ineffective in correcting problems in sexual responding.

Question 52

From an evolutionary perspective, the different mating strategies we observe in males and females are due primarily to

A) the cultural forces that control the sexual behavior of males and females.
B) differences in the number of times males and females can reproduce.
C) the capacity of men to have only one orgasm per sexual episode and the capacity of women to have multiple orgasms per sexual episode.
D) the higher level of sexual interest in males and the lower level of sexual interest in females.

Question 53

According to evolutionary psychologists, when reproduction is a goal, the basic problem facing female animals is to

A) maximize the number of offspring produced by mating with the largest number of males possible.
B) find a high-quality male to ensure the best, healthiest offspring from her limited store of eggs.
C) spend as little time as possible encouraging the growth and development of offspring.
D) increase the number of eggs that are available for the purposes of reproduction.

Question 54

In evolutionary psychology, short- and long-term strategies have been suggested by David Buss. The strategy of choosing a mate of high status is one that has evolved in ________ as a ________ mating strategy.

A) women; long-term
B) women; short-term
C) men; long-term
D) men; short-term

Question 55

Alfred Kinsey is best known in the history of sexual research for his

A) recordings of human sexual intercourse under laboratory conditions.
B) large-scale interviews of Americans about their sexual behavior.
C) development of an evolutionary theory of human sexuality.
D) controversial theories of erotic attraction.

Question 56

Recent surveys of the sexual attitudes and practices of individuals reveal that

A) the norms for sexual behavior have changed over the last several decades.
B) older adults are less likely to remain with one partner than younger adults.
C) younger adults are more conservative about their sexual behavior.
D) the more conservative the attitude about sexual behavior, the greater the likelihood of sexual deviance.

Question 57

In the culture in which a woman grows up, if a couple has sexual relations the man is expected to marry the woman. This prescription for sexual behavior is technically known as

A) equity theory.
B) expectancy theory.
C) a sexual script.
D) a hierarchy of needs.

Question 58

Recent surveys that have explored the issue of homosexuality have suggested that

A) due to social hostility directed toward acting on homosexual desires, it may be impossible to get an accurate estimate of the incidence of homosexuality.
B) a large majority of individuals have had at least some homosexual experience.
C) the actual incidence of homosexuality has probably been overestimated.
D) women are much more likely to have sex with a same-sex partner than are men.

Question 59

Research on the biological factors associated with homosexuality has focused on concordance rates for monozygotic and dizygotic twins. The results of such studies of gay men and lesbian women have shown higher concordance rates for ________ twins, which supports the view that sexuality ________ genetically determined.

A) dizygotic; may be
B) dizygotic; is not
C) monozygotic; may be
D) monozygotic; is not

Question 60

A young girl does not wish to engage in girl-typical activities. According to Daryl Bem's theory of sexual preference, this increases the likelihood that she will

A) feel dissimilar from her same-sex peers.
B) feel a lack of emotional arousal in her adult life.
C) develop sexual preferences that are typical for girls.
D) find boys to be "exotic and erotic."

Question 61

In a survey of heterosexual men and women regarding how they feel being around "a man who is homosexual" or "a woman who is a lesbian" it was seen that

A) both men and women anticipated more discomfort being around homosexual persons who matched their own sex.
B) women as compared to men felt more uncomfortable being around homosexual men.
C) men anticipated arousal around lesbian women.
D) both men and women felt very comfortable being around homosexuals who matched their own sex.

Question 62

Why do homosexuals often experience social distress?

A) They cannot speak openly about their lives.
B) They are accepted by their relatives and friends.
C) Society looks up to them.
D) They feel very proud of themselves.

Question 63

Research on societal hostility toward homosexuality indicates that

A) societal hostility will decrease if homosexuals keep their sexual preferences concealed.
B) society would prefer lesbians to "come out" and gay men to remain hidden.
C) the more gay men and lesbians a person knows, the more favorable his or her attitude.
D) hostility could be decreased markedly if homosexual individuals remain segregated from society.

Question 64

Suppose you were a participant in one of David McClelland's studies of the need for achievement. You would be given the Thematic Apperception Test and be expected to

A) rate yourself on a series of achievement-related questions.
B) check off those goals that most apply to you.
C) compile a list of your most important lifetime achievements.
D) generate stories in response to a series of ambiguous drawings.

Question 65

When a friend comes back from her interview with a counselor, she shows you the written report. One thing that stands out is that she has received a high score on n Ach. You realize that this means that she

A) has had no history of achievement in her life.
B) has a high need for achievement.
C) has highly negative views toward achievement.
D) is probably a neurotic achiever.

Question 66

A worker has just received a promotion. Her judgment about the cause of this happy outcome is called a(n)

A) attribution.
B) attentional element.
C) emotion.
D) control orientation.

Question 67

A person is not certain whether his actions have an impact on what happens to him or whether fate is responsible for his fortunes in life. Psychologists would say that his questions relate to the internal-external dimension of

A) world view.
B) personal perspective.
C) attributions
D) individualized sensitivity rating.

Question 68

Which of the following is NOT a dimension along which it is suggested that attributions can vary?

A) stability versus instability
B) internal versus external
C) well-defined versus ill-defined
D) global versus specific

Question 69

A woman feels that the reason the pie she was making burned is because everything she does is wrong and that she will never succeed at any task she attempts. The woman is expressing a(n) ________ attribution.

A) global
B) specific
C) unstable
D) well-defined

Question 70

A child entered the spelling bee hoping to win, but was eliminated in the first round. According to attributional theorists, his future motivation will be influenced most by

A) what he believes is the cause of his failure.
B) the true reason for his failure.
C) whether he was unlucky.
D) his level of intelligence.

Question 71

Researchers have shown that the way people explain events in their lives can become habitual attributional styles. If attributional style leads one friend to have an A at the end of the semester, and the other to have an F, the key ingredient may be

A) their ability to do the work.
B) how they get along with the instructor.
C) whether or not they are outgoing.
D) optimistic versus pessimistic attributional style.

Question 72

Suppose you have a friend who is consistently optimistic in her approach to all of life's problems. Your friend would be most likely to attribute her failures to ________ causes.

A) internal, unstable, and global
B) internal, stable, and global
C) external, unstable, and specific
D) external, stable, and specific

Question 73

An acquaintance is a gloomy, pessimistic kind of individual. He's no fun to be around. When something goes wrong in his life, he is most likely to attribute it to ________ causes.

A) external, unstable, and global
B) internal, stable, and global
C) external, stable, and specific
D) external, unstable, and specific

Question 74

Which of the following sayings is most strongly supported by the body of research on pessimistic and optimistic explanatory styles?

A) Nothing succeeds like success.
B) To thine own self be true.
C) There is power in positive thinking.
D) Charity begins at home.

Question 75

According to equity theory, workers are motivated to

A) outperform others whenever there is competition.
B) maintain fair relationships with other workers.
C) do the least amount of work possible.
D) avoid evaluation on the part of supervisors.

Question 76

A man believes that he has been a hard worker and faithful employee, but that he has been treated unfairly by his company. Other workers do much less than he does, but they get paid more. According to the predictions of equity theory, this worker will be most likely to

A) quit his job.
B) ask his boss for a raise.
C) reinterpret the effectiveness of his efforts on behalf of the company.
D) attempt to restore equity by changing the relevant inputs and outcomes.

Question 77

Which of the following is NOT one of the three components of the expectancy theory of work motivation?

A) expectancy
B) fairness
C) valence
D) instrumentality

Question 78

In the expectancy theory of motivation in the workplace, ________ refers to the perception that performance will be rewarded and ________ refers to the perceived attractiveness of particular outcomes.

A) valence; expectancy
B) expectancy; instrumentality
C) instrumentality; valence
D) instrumentality; expectancy

Question 79

According to the predictions of the expectancy theory of work, the lowest levels of motivation should result when

A) any single component is zero.
B) instrumentality and valence have low probabilities, and expectancy has a high probability.
C) instrumentality, valence, and expectancy all have low probabilities.
D) instrumentality, valence, and expectancy all have high probabilities.

Question 80

A political appointee works at a job in which good performance is not rewarded. In addition, he feels that his job has low status and that, no matter how hard he tries, in the long run he will not be successful. According to expectancy theory, you would predict that he will

A) raise his work effort to an even higher level.
B) demonstrate low levels of work motivation.
C) change the relevant inputs and outcomes in order to restore feelings of equity.
D) start to ask questions about how his salary compares with that of other workers.