In this video I discuss how motivations may be conscious or unconscious influences on behavior. I describe some of the unconscious motivations proposed by Henry Murray and David McClelland and how external conditions may activate motivations. Next I describe the … Read More
Delay of Gratification & Ironic Effects of Punishment
In this video I introduce the concept of delay of gratification and the famous Marshmallow Test. Mischel, Shoda, and Rodriguez found that the ability to delay gratification at age 4 was associated with higher social competence, coping skills, and even … Read More
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
In this video I describe one way of organizing the many other motivations that we face: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Abraham Maslow proposed that motivations could be categorized and then those categories could be arranged into a hierarchy of importance, … Read More
Masters & Johnson’s Human Sexual Response Cycle
In this video I briefly describe the work of William Masters and Virginia Johnson in identifying 4 distinct phases of the human sexual response cycle: excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution. Like these videos? Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel … Read More
Sexual Motivation
In this video I introduce the basics of sexual motivation and briefly describe hormones involved. Next I discuss some important differences between humans and other species when it comes to sexual motivation, including estrus and hidden fertility. I explain how … Read More
Understanding Obesity
In this video I consider evolutionary explanations for the modern struggle with obesity. I describe how obesity is defined using the calculation of body mass index or BMI and consider potential problems with this simple calculation. I also discuss set … Read More
Introduction to Eating Disorders
In this video I introduce 3 eating disorders: bulimia nervosa, binge–eating disorder, and anorexia nervosa. I briefly describe the symptoms of these disorders and how they may arise from complex interactions of biological factors like genes or hormones and environmental … Read More
Hunger Signaling
In this video I describe how hunger is turned on (the orexigenic signal) and off (the anorexigenic signal) and how hormones and other cues influence motivation to eat. The lateral hypothalamus is involved in turning on hunger, while the ventromedial … Read More
Arousal Theory, Yerkes-Dodson Law, & Flow
In this video I describe arousal theory, the Yerkes–Dodson law, and flow. Arousal theory suggests that there is an optimal level of arousal that we are motivated to maintain and that we will seek out activities that serve to raise … Read More
Drive Reduction Theory
In this video I describe Clark Hull’s Drive Reduction Theory. This theory proposes that behaviors can be considered rewarding because they reduce drives. Drives can then be regarded as primary drives or secondary drives, depending on whether they directly aid … Read More