Read Chapter 3 of your textbook.
Summarize the chapter, then answer these questions. What information was most surpising to you? What information was most confusing to you? What information do you want to learn more about? How is your understanding of motivation changed now that you've learned about some of the biological/physiological bases of it?
Chapter 3 was filled with information on how the brain works when it comes to motivation and emotion. As stated in the book, the brain is the center of motivation and emotion and that all motivation and emotional states involve the brain wither we are aware of it or not. This chapter went into detail on different parts of the brains such as the medial forebrain bundle, refered to as the pleasure center of the brain, the amygdala, the decection center of threatening and emotional events, and the reticular formation that is responsible for arousal of emotional and motivational concerns, along with many other parts of the brain. The chapter also discussed different hormones and neurotransmitters in the brain such as dopamine, serotonin, endorphin, and norepinephrine that send messages throughout the brain to signal different motivations and emotions.
The thing that came across as surprising to me in this chapter was how complex motivation and emotion can be biologically. The human brain is so complex and to see how different parts of the brain are stimulated by a specific event and then transmit a specific motivational or emotional response is amazing and is a lot to take in and comprehend. Along with finding this information surprising and interesting, it is also confusing for me. I find that trying to piece together which part of the brain triggers or responds to a certain happening complex and at times difficult to understand.
The part of this chapter that I would like to learn more about is not only the interworking of the brain and its relationships to motivation and emotion, but about the section on liking and wanting. I found it interesting when the author described wanting as “ a motivational state that occurs prior to receiving a reward”, and liking as “a motivational state that occurs after rewarding receipt” (Reeve 67). When they said that both liking and wanting go hand in hand but both have different brain mechanisms leads back to my interest to learn more about how the parts of the brain work with motivation and emotion.
After reading this chapter my understanding of motivation had broadened a great deal. Being able to read and start to get a grasp on how the brain biologically works when it comes to motivation helps start a better understanding of motivation as a whole and has started to answer some of the questions I had after reading the first two chapters in the book.
Terms: amygdale, reticular formation, medial forebrain bundle, neurotransmitters, liking, wanting.
Chapter 3 explains the brain’s involvement in motivation and emotion. The book tells us that the different brain structures help to create the different types of motivation that we experience. For example, the hypothalamus helps to regulate our motivation in regards to physiological needs; these needs include things like eating, drinking, and mating. While eating, drinking, and mating are approach tendencies, the amygdala creates emotional anger or fear, which leads to avoidance tendencies. The different parts of the brain serve many different functions, yet all are somehow related to motivation. The book also tells us that chemicals in the brain stimulate those brain structures, and that daily events cause those chemicals to be released. These chemicals are called neurotransmitters, and they are responsible for sending messages through the different channels in the brain. The major example from the book was dopamine, which causes us to feel good.
I took a neuropsychology course last spring, so the neuroanatomy in this chapter was not surprising to me. The segment that interested me the most – though small – was the one about liking and wanting. The book says that “wanting is a motivational state that occurs prior to receiving a reward, while liking is a motivational state that occurs after reward receipt” (pg. 67). I had always thought of the two as being basically the same, so it surprised me when the book explained the difference between the two and applied them both to motivation. I now know that wanting can occur without liking, which makes sense in regards to substance abuse.
The most confusing part about the brain to me is the fact that a number of different parts are responsible for every action or thought, and not just one. For example, both the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex are responsible for storing memories; if we damage one or the other, the brain is still able to store memories, just not as efficiently or obviously as before. The complexity of the brain is hard to wrap my head around! If I were to take another neurology class, I would want to continue to learn more about the different functions of different parts of the brain. Even learning about the same parts but with more details would be interesting.
Everything that I do or think is the result of neurotransmitters being sent through the channels in my brain. In regards to motivation, the neurotransmitters alert different parts of my brain, which when activated motivate me to approach certain behaviors or situations and avoid others. Now that I understand the physiological bases of motivation, I have a lot more questions about motivation than answers. For instance, if an emotion such as fear is the result of neurotransmitters in my brain, why does my brain scream “FLEE!” whenever I see a spider, yet my brother’s brain makes him indifferent to it? Questions such as this reaffirm how complex the brain is, especially in regards to our behavior.
Terms: hypothalamus, amygdala, neurotransmitter, dopamine, liking, wanting, hippocampus
Oh the brain. It’s a fun thing to learn about I think. The brain really does have quite and influence over our actions. We may want to be able to control our behavior, yet sometimes our brain’s motivation overpowers our will. I think motivation is often thought of as a conscious decision to do something. This chapter taught me that that is not always the case. Our brain often works on an unconscious level (many times due to the influence of the limbic system). Sometimes it is running our body and mind without our conscious awareness. I believe the brain is difficult to override when it is motivating the body without our conscious awareness and without our consent. If we are not made aware of the brain’s influence certain motivations we may never be able to override the motivations. For instance, an ex-smoker who watches a movie that has a bunch of smoking scenes may feel a strong urge to smoke and may be motivated to light up a cigarette again. The individual doesn’t have to be aware of the effect the movie is having on his behavior. However, if they are aware, the ex-smoker can take measures to avoid situations that may cause a resurgence of the urge to smoke.
Motivation via dopamine is an interesting topic. It’s pretty cool to think that you receive more of a reward or a pleasurable experience just thinking about certain things. Well, maybe that’s not always cool (e.g. when thinking about doing a drug leads you to do said drug). This made me think a bit about expectations. A lot of times I think our expectations outweigh the awesomeness of the actual event. Dopamine motivates you to seek out/fulfill what has brought you some sort of pleasure/reward in thinking about (e.g. the example given in the book about seeking out the cookies that you smell- the smell is what has cause a pleasurable response….you are imagining how amazing the cookies are). Dopamine influences our expectations. If it is released in the brain after you see, smell, hear, etc. something we strive to meet what we have just received some pleasure from (pleasure via the dopamine).
Related to the idea that dopamine release motivates us to do something is the idea that “wanting” precedes receiving a reward. With the release of dopamine we want to seek something out. We haven’t done that thing that we want to do and therefore have not received any reward for doing it. Back to the cookie example: we smell the delicious cookies baking, we want to eat a cookie, we find the cookies, we eat them (after they have cooled for safety purposes), we experience a reward from eating a cookie. The wanting experience is not tied to the actual reward. We expect the reward (partially because of the release of dopamine) yet we have not actually experienced the reward at the time. I would love to learn more about these concepts of expectations and wanting. It’s just so interesting that sometimes we experience more pleasure just by our expectations about something instead of experiencing more pleasure when that something actually happens! Maybe we should try to stop spending so much of our time thinking and building up our expectations for certain things and instead just let things happen how they will.
Generally speaking, the brain baffles me. It is fascinating, but it’s so confusing. I can spend a lot of time thinking about the brain and all of its functions, yet I usually end up with not much more clarity on the functioning of the brain than when I started. I get fairly confused when I try to think about the interaction between our cognition and the biology of the brain. Said in a different way: I find it difficult to understand how the mind (our thoughts and conscience) work together with the brain (a biological structure that works via neurotransmitters and synapses and whatnot). So interesting and so confusing. I accept that I will not ever understand this fully.
The study of the brain sheds important light on the difficulty of overcoming addictions. Because many people do not know the huge role the brain plays in our experience of pleasure and in the reinforcement of behavior many people cannot understand how someone cannot simply quit smoking or drinking. While we do have control over many aspects of our behavior, there are some things that are extremely difficult to control especially when we are not aware of how and when we are being motivated by the brain to behave in a certain way.
Terms: dopamine, neurotransmitters, limbic system, wanting
Chapter 3 discussed the links between motivation and the brain. Three principles were listed that illustrate this. The first is that specific brain structures generate specific motivations. The second is that biochemical agents stimulate specific brain structures and the third is that day-to-day events stir biochemical agents into action. Next, the chapter discussed ways of looking inside the brain including a surgeon's view and the use of MRI. Chapter 3 then went on to list and discuss various parts of the brain that are involved in motivation. Some of these parts are: the hypothalamus, medial forebrain bundle, orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala, septo-hippocampal circuit, anterior cingulate cortex, reticular formation, and the prefrontal cortex. Next, the process of how neurotransmitters (such as dopamine) are involved in motivation was discussed. Lastly, the process of how hormones affect motivation was discussed.
What was most surprising to me was how many parts of our brains are involved in our motivation. I had no idea that that amount of structures was part of the process of motivation. It was interesting to me how much researchers know about these structures. They know many details about how these brain mechanisms are involved in our motivation. It was astounding.
I was a little confused by the difference between the medial forebrain bundle and the septo-hippocampal circuit. They both seem to be involved in the process of us experiencing pleasure, but the differences between these two mechanisms was unclear to me.
I want to learn more about how these certain brain mechanisms motivate us differently. For eample, we know that some of these mechanisms are involved in our experience of positive feelings. Why then, do some people experience positive feelings in certain situations when others do not? In other words, why is one person's medial forebrain bundle stimulated during a movie while the other person is bored?
My understanding of motivation is changed because I can see a little more why people engage in risky behaviors, such as smoking, even though they know the risks involved. Their motivation to smoke can be explained, in part, by their brain mechanisms. My understanding is also changed because it makes me wonder if we can "voluntarily" help what we are motivated by or if it is just decided for us by our brains.
Terms: hypothalamus, medial forebrain bundle, orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala, septo-hippocampal circuit, anterior cingulate cortex, reticular formation, prefrontal cortex, neurotransmitters, dopamine
Chapter 3 of our textbook looked at how motivation and emotion works from a biological standpoint, or more specifically, how it coincides with our brain. The text explained how certain parts of the brain (e.g. hypothalamus) as well as neurotransmitters (e.g. dopamine) functioned in providing us with motivation for certain behaviors. The book listed three general principles that researchers look at when studying motivation and emotion with the brain: 1) Specific brain structures generate specific motivations 2) Biochemical agents stimulate specific brain structures 3) Day-to-day events stir biochemical agents into action. Using the three principles we can see and understand how motivation is aroused.
The most surprising part of the chapter was reading about the anterior cingulate cortex. I came into UNI as a biology major, so I am very fascinated with the biological part of psychology. I’ve taken the class biopsychology, therefore I learned a lot about the different parts of the brain, their functions, etc. However I never read/learned about the anterior cingulate cortex. Here the brain controls your day-to-day mood, volition, and decision making. Decreased activity in this area is associated with depression. This is another thing I found surprising. In many classes of psychology you discuss depression, yet I do not ever remember discussing this part of the brain. Therefore not only is this the most surprising part of the chapter to me, but it is also what I would like to learn more about. Where is this located? Obviously the words “anterior” and “cortext” give me some sort of clue, yet I would still like to know more about this part of the brain.
I didn’t find one particular part of this chapter that confusing. As I said, I find the brain extremely fascinating and therefore I have intrinsic motivation to learn this stuff rather than just learning it in order to do complete my blog (extrinsic motivation). However, even I have trouble putting and remembering all of the pieces together when I look at the chapter as a whole. It is easy to understand specific parts of the brain and their functions when you look at only one part at a time, just as I did with the anterior cingulate cortex and its control of decisions and our daily moods. However when I add the functions of neurotransmitters (such as dopamine) and other parts of the brain (such as the septo-hippocampal circuit) and look at the brain as whole, this is where it becomes confusing. It is hard to remember all the different parts of the brain and their functions.
I think learning about the physiological aspects of motivation have helped my understanding of motivation. Some people consider themselves extremely lazy, having no motivation, but when we break motivation down to the simplest forms, such as food deprivation, we see that everyone gets hungry. This is because everyone has the hormone Ghrelin that triggers the hypothalamus into letting us know we are hungry. Applying biological concepts to motivation and emotion create a better understanding, for me at least!
Terms:
Anterior cingulate cortex, dopamine, ghrelin, hpothalmus, septo-hippocampal circuit, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, neurotransmitters
Chapter three examined and discussed what exactly goes on in our brain when we are motivated. The main structure in the brain that takes part in our motivation is the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus creates our motivation to meet our physiological needs like eating and sleeping. It also plays a part in our desire for certain things like sex, or specific foods or drink. Another structure the text mentions is the orbitofrontal cortex which is involved in making choices between numerous options. Our orbitofrontal cortex is active whenever we decide if we want to watch Law and Order or Sportcenter on the television. Not only did it discuss what areas of the brain participate in our motivation, but what areas are associated with our emotion. For example, we whenever we drink our favorite beverage at the bar, the stimulation of the nucleus accumbens occurs because we have a feeling of pleasure. Whenever we get aroused, the reticular formation plays a role in alerting and arousing our cortex. The end of the chapter talks about dopamine a how it can affect our body. Dopamine is released throughout our body by neurotransmitters that carry signals from neuron to neuron to communicate from one body part to the other.
I was most surprised by the section on dopamine, and the effect it had on our behavior. Dopamine is responsible for our good, happy feelings. I was surprised by the fact that after a prolonged exposure to dopamine, our receptors become sensitive to the release of dopamine throughout our bodies. This explains why people can become addicted to substances or certain behaviors. Whenever you get a rush of adrenaline or partake in something that makes you feel good, you are more inclined to do these behaviors, and the more you do them, the more dopamine your body receives. Repeated dopamine makes your receptors sensitive, and you are left with a want for more dopamine in your system.
The most confusing thing to me in this chapter was the section on the reticular formation. Not only does the reticular formation play a role in arousal but also it helps with your muscle tone. According to the text, “the descending reticular formation projects its nerves downward to regulate muscle tonus (pg. 59).” This is confusing to me because it doesn’t really explain how this process works. Being the kind of person who likes to know why, I would like to know more information on how the reticular formation regulates muscle tone. When we exercise and lift weights to get stronger, are we sending messages to our brain? Does the reticular formation play a role when you are gaining muscle mass or just on the appearance?
Now that I’ve learned about the biological areas of the brain that are involved and influence our motivation, my understanding of motivation is different than before. I realize that motivation is such a complex process. There are numerous things that go on in our body whenever we are faced with decisions, how we behave, and the emotions that come along with our behaviors. I’ve gained a deeper understanding of how hard it is for addicts to stop their behavior. It is not as simple as just telling yourself to stop because addictive behavior comes from the biological happening in your body. Imagine trying to stop drinking your favorite pop or eating your favorite food. That is how hard it is for someone to stop smoking, drinking, gambling, etc.
Terms: hypothalamus, orbitofrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, dopamine, neurotransmitter, reticular formation,
Chapter 3 was a look into how motivation and emotion effects the brain and what goes on to make you do certain things or feel a certain way. This can be reflected in hunger, thirst, and other cravings. It talks about different things such as dopamine’s that occur when something satisfies you; in addition you do that thing again. The chapter also labels the anatomy of the brain to help the reader get an understanding on what sensations happen where. It explains that hormones such as testosterone and cortisol play an important part in motivation as well.
The information that was most surprising to me from the chapter was the part about the animal being equipped the electrical backpack. It talked about how the researcher controls the stimulations from a laptop and whenever these stimulations occur to the medial forebrain “pleasure center” the animal will repeat the behavior it did. It’s a way to manipulate an animal into doing something you want it to do.
The part of the chapter that was most confusing to me was reading all of the different cortex’s of the brain and making sure that I understood each one and wouldn’t get them confused. It isn’t that hard to understand but with all the brain terminology thrown into one paragraph it can be overwhelming at first.
There were many interesting parts to the chapter but the thing I want to learn more about is dopamine. It seems to me that when you give someone dopamine when they do what you want they will continue to do it. I want to look at more research on it and see if there is information out there for modifying someone’s behavior through issuing more dopamine on a large scale.
My ideas of motivation and emotion have changed because I now know the process of how it filters through your brain and sets of neurotransmitters and releases different hormones for pleasurable experiences or undesirable experiences which controls how you will behave in that environment.
Terms:dopamine,motivation,neurotransmitter,behavior
Chapter 3 points out that the brain is not only an agent of thought; it is further an agent of motivation and emotion. To illustrate how the brain creates, maintains, and regulates motivation and emotion the book uses three principles. First, specific brain structures generate specific motivational states. Second, biochemical agents stimulate these brain structures. Third, day-to-day events stir brain-stimulating biochemical agents into action. The text then goes into detail about specific brain structures and the role they play in relation to motivation and emotion. These brain structures include the hypothalamus, medial forebrain bundle, orbitofrontal cortex, amygdale, septo-hippocampus circuit, anterior cingulate cortex, reticular formation, and prefrontal cortex. Chapter 3 then describes neurotransmitters and the four motivationally relevant neurotransmitter pathways. These pathways include dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and endorphin. The chapter then describes the three hormones in that body that play a vital role in motivation in emotion. These hormones are cortisol, testosterone, and oxytocin.
After reading the chapter I was surprised to learn how many different brain structures play a role in creating our motivations and emotions. I was previously unaware of how complex motivation and emotion is. It’s obvious the brain plays a role, but I guess I never really thought much past that. It was also surprising to learn about the amount of neurotransmitter pathways and hormones that also affect our motivations and emotions. I wouldn’t say I was extremely confused by anything I read; however, I will say I was overwhelmed. I find it difficult to remember all of the brain structures and what each one is responsible for and how they all relate to one another. Fortunately, the text explains these structures well, especially in terms of how they relate to motivation and emotion so I can re-read them to become better acquainted.
After learning about some of the biological/physiological aspects of motivation and emotion my understanding has definitely improved. I have learned about a lot of these brain functions, but not how they relate to motivation and emotion. I realize now that motivation and emotion is much more complex than I had originally thought. However, this has caused to come up with a lot more questions. I would like to learn more about how brain structures of individuals differ from one another causing different motivations and emotions in everyone. For instance, why can one person try smoking once and never do it again but yet someone else becomes addicted? Or why does one person seek thrills while another person is turned off by them?
Terms: hypothalamus, medial forebrain bundle, orbitofrontal cortex, amygdale, septo-hippocampus circuit, anterior cingulate cortex, reticular formation, and prefrontal cortex, neurotransmitters, dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, endorphincortisol, testosterone, and oxytocin.
Chapter Three is obviously about the brain, as it is the title of the chapter. More specifically, the chapter focuses not only on cognitive and intellectual functions, but on how the brain is an agent of motivation and emotion. The brain is what generates a full range of emotions that lead to motivation. The chapter covers three principles that organize how the brain is studied. First, specific brain structures like the hypothalamus and amygdala generate specific motivational states. Second, biochemical agents such as neurotransmitters and hormones stimulate these brain structures. Third, day to day events make these brain-stimulating biochemical agents spring into action. The chapter also summarizes how we can look inside the brain with techniques like surgery and fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging). We can use these techniques to locate several key brain structures that are related to motivation and emotion. Positive feelings are associated with the hypothalamus, medial forebrain bundle, septal area, orbitofrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, medial prefrontal cortex, and left prefrontal cortex. Negative feelings are associated with the amygdala, hippocampus, and right prefrontal cortex. Another important piece of this chapter was about neurotransmitters. They act as chemical messengers within the brain. The four neurotransmitter paths that are relevant to motivation are dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and endorphin.
The part of the chapter that I was most surprised about was the section on looking inside the brain. I am not one for pain, so learning about the “old fashion” ways to look inside a brain was a bit much for me. During surgery, part of your cerebral cortex (the outside layers of the brain) is exposed. The book said that surgically sawing through your skull to get to your brain is not uncommon in hospitals, although less invasive procedures are being developed and tested.
The part of this chapter that I would like to learn more about is how we are not always consciously aware of the motivational basis of our behavior. The book says that motives can and do originate in the unconscious limbic structures rather than in the conscious cerebral cortex.
After reading this chapter I am more aware of how the brain influences motivation and emotion. Rather than simply looking at motivation and emotion as a human making a decision based on motivation or emotion, I can see the physiological aspects of those decisions as well.
Terms: hypothalamus, amygdala, neurotransmitters, fMRI, medial forebrain bundle, septal area, orbitofrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, medial prefrontal cortex, left prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, right prefrontal cortex, dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, endorphin, cerebral cortex, limbic structure
Chapter 3 was centered around what role the brain plays when it comes to motivation and emotion. The chapter started out sharing the three principles of the motivated and emotional brain, and they were: specific brain structures generate specific motivations, biochemical agents stimulate specific brain structures, and day-to-day events stir biochemical agents into action. From there, the chapter went on to discuss the anatomical locations of the key parts of the brain, such as the hypothalamus and the amygdala, and their functions. After that, the chapter moved into the topic of neurotransmitters, or the brain’s chemical messengers. The neurotransmitter called dopamine generates good feelings when it is released, so can therefore be used as a reinforcer. The end of the chapter discussed how humans might not always be consciously aware of the motivational basis of our behavior. We can list out rational reasons for why we are behaving in certain ways, but in reality, it may not truly be clear to us.
The information that was most surprising to me was the section about liking versus wanting. It surprised me because I had not really thought about the differences between the two terms, but they are not at all the same thing. Wanting is the motivational state that happens before one is rewarded, whereas liking is the motivational state that happens after receiving the reward. Wanting and liking usually happen together, but you can want without liking. Wanting without liking, though, only gives partial reward. This information was interesting to me because of the fact that the two terms are used so loosely, so I never really had to sit down and think about what they truly mean.
The information that was most confusing to me was when the chapter discussed how motivations couldn’t be separated from the social context in which it is embedded. It was hard for me to understand how motivation is mixed in with the social context and natural stimulants. I had to go over that section a few times before I could comprehend what it meant, which was slightly frustrating.
The part of this chapter that I definitely want to learn more about is addictions. I think it is crazy that addictive drugs can release dopamine at such a sensitizing level. No wonder it is hard to quit doing addicting drugs. If you were getting a higher dopamine kick than you ever have before by doing the drugs, then it would probably be agonizing to stop and lose that great feeling. I find addictions to be very interesting, and I hope there is more on the topic in the chapters to come!
My understanding of motivation has changed now that I’ve learned more about some of the biological and physiological bases of it. Prior to reading this chapter, I knew that biology and physiology played a role in motivation and emotion, but I did not realize to what extent. Chapter 3 truly opened up my eyes and made me realize that all of the little networks inside of the brain and all of the neurotransmitters and hormones really make up a large piece of what motivation is, and I am looking forward to going more in-depth and figuring out more pieces to the puzzle that is motivation and emotion!
Terms: hypothalamus, amygdala, neurotransmitter, dopamine, hormones
Chapter 3 focused on the biological functions of the brain and how those functions influence motivation and emotion. Evidence can be produced from these functions by using machines such as the fMRI (which takes an electronic photograph of the structures of the brain). The brain structures that affect biological functions are located in the limbic system. The limbic system is made up of the hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, septal area, ventral tegmental area, and fibers that connect structures into a communication network. These structures can be categorized into approach versus avoidance categories that help us to better understand their functions and how they ultimately effect motivation and emotion. Other factors in the biological functions of the brain include neurotransmitters (chemical messengers of the brain) such as, dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and endorphins. (Dopamine generates good feelings associated w. reward. Serotonin influences mood and emotion. Norepinephrine regulates arousal and awareness. Endorphins inhibit pain, anxiety, and fear). The pathways created from the neurotransmitters effect emotion states and of course, motivation. Cortisol, testosterone, and oxytocin are hormones in the body that integral to motivation and emotion. These hormones help regulate stress, sexual motivation, as well as social relations. As can be read, there are many factors that contribute to motivation and emotion - and all can be traced back to biological functions of the brain. From this chapter, there are two main points to take away: (1) motivation cannot be separated from the social context in which it is embedded, and (2) we are not always consciously aware of the motivational basis of our behavior.
Information that I found most surprising was the difference between the structures of the limbic system. Chapter 3 was helpful in separating them into positive feelings and approach motivation (made up of the hypothalamus, medial forebrain bundle, septal area, orbitofrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, medial prefrontal cortex, and the left prefrontal cortex) versus negative feelings and avoidance motivation (made up of the amygdala, hippocampus, and the right prefrontal cortex). It was interesting to learn the numerous different functions of each structure, but then still be able to separate them into two larger categories that aid in the understanding of motivation and emotion. The last two points I made in the above paragraph were also very interesting to me (motivation cannot be separated from its social context, and we are not always conscious of the motivational basis of our behavior). They seem common knowledge, but I have never thought of motivation that specifically before reading this chapter.
Information that was most confusing to me was the fact that so many brain structures contribute to our every emotion and decision/motivation. These processes are not only numerous, but so many factors contribute to how our brain structures will respond and thus effect our emotions and motivation. It is baffling to know that these processes occur without our conscious awareness. Sometimes it feels as if we have no control over our emotions or do not understand why we were motivated or made that specific decision. Knowing now that motivation and emotion are both conscious and unconscious efforts provides plenty food for thought!
Something that I would like to learn more about is the testing that is done when someone is getting an fMRI in order to learn more about motivation and emotion. I am curious as to the kinds of questions and scenarios that are presented to the person receiving the fMRI. Are there “standardized tests” that are administered verbally? How are the researchers able to decide the maximum amount of stimulation from the information presented to the person getting the fMRI (besides color shown from the activated areas of the brain)? Is the data gathered able to be deciphered numerically, or are the results solely based on amount of color?
My understanding of motivation has changed now that I have learned about some of the biological/physiological bases. I now know that there are numerous structures of the brain that contribute to every emotion and motivation (whether they are consciously known or not). I also understand now that neurotransmitters and hormones have very distinct and different effects on motivation. Tying into the article on smoking, I am better able to understand why someone cannot simply quit. Motivation cannot be separated from the social context from which it is embedded. If someone who smokes is constantly around others who are smoking or watches movies that show the act of smoking, their motivation to smoke is increased and they begin smoking once again.
Chapter three was about how motivation and emotion relate to the brain. Events in our everyday lives trigger biochemical agents into action, which stimulate different brain structures to generate different motivations. To study this, scientists use fMRIs that show brain activity while people are experiencing motivation and emotion. When certain brain structures light up, it tells us that they play a role in the type of motivation or emotion that is occurring. There are many brain structures that are involved in motivation - some are approach oriented (hypothalamus) and generate excitatory readiness to approach objects or engage in events, while others are avoidance oriented (amygdala) and generate an inhibitory avoidance. Neurotransmitters and hormones are constantly affecting our motivation and emotions. Neurotransmitters (such as dopamine) do their job in the brain’s central nervous system, helping neurons communicate with each other. They can be affected by both naturally occurring things and psychoactive drugs which act artificially. Hormones (such as testosterone) are released in the body to help us adapt to our constantly changing environment. It is important to remember the social context of motivation. Events in our environment have a lot of influence on our brain’s basic motivational processes.
The function of the hippocampus is what surprised me the most. I always thought that the hippocampus’ job was strictly memory. Now I see that it is much more complex. The hippocampus works with other limbic structures in the septo-hippocampal circuit. The hippocampus’ role is to compare incoming sensory information with the information that is already stored (memory). If the new information matches up to what is expected, the hippocampus gives it an “okay,” but if events do not match up to what is already store, the hippocampus says that it’s “not okay.” This activates the entire septo-hippocampal circuit which creates arousal and anxiety. The complexity of this and memory in general really surprised me.
The section about dopamine confused me (at least at first). The fact that dopamine is released before a pleasurable event occurs was news to me. It is hard to understand how just the anticipation of something happening is what triggers those good feelings. It seems that these emotionally positive feelings would be enough to satisfy you, so that you don’t even need to eat the chocolate chip cookie. If simply smelling the cookies in the oven is what produces the good feelings, then why do we even eat them? As I read on it became much clearer. Dopamine also motivates you to engage in the activity or approach the object that you are anticipating. I still don’t quite understand how dopamine release is the greatest when the rewarding event is unpredicted. The release obviously did not come in anticipation to the event. So does that mean that dopamine is released twice? Once in anticipation and again when we engage in the event?
I would like to learn more about the specific motivation of hunger. The chapter opened with an example of how our brain creates the psychological experience of hunger. When someone diets, ghrelin is produced, which stimulates the hypothalamus, which makes you hungry. In my experience, I get hungry for several other reasons than dieting. So are there other biochemicals and brain structures that arouse the motivation of hunger? Or does it all boil down to the hypothalamus telling me that I’m hungry?
My understanding of motivation has slightly changed after reading this chapter. I have always thought of motivation as being beyond my control. One day I am motivated to study, the next day I’m not… and I can’t do anything about it. But now knowing that motivation derives from chemicals in your brain, it seems that motivation may be more controllable than I thought. By manipulating certain chemicals, or even engaging in certain events, I can control some of my motivation.
Terms: fMRI, hypothalamus, amygdala, neurotransmitters, testosterone, hippocampus, septo-hippocampal circuit, dopamine
Chapter 3 heavily discussed the involvement the brain has on motivation and emotion. As it states in the book, most people primarily think of the brain as a center for intelligence, which is obviously another function of the brain. Along with that, the brain also controls, consciously and subconsciously, motivation and emotion. When one feels thirsty or hungry, it is the relaying the message that the body needs water or food. It has also been discovered which parts of the brain controls which type of emotions and motivations. For example the hypothalamus controls increases the motivation to eat among other things. The specific parts of the brain do not do it alone, however. Each part of the brain is assisted by neurotransmitters and hormones in providing motivation for a variety of behaviors. Dopamine is an example of a neurotransmitter that stimulates the brain and produces positive emotions.
After reading this chapter, I was most surprised with the structure of the brain and how so many important things can be controlled by a single part of the brain. I have previously taken biopsychology so I have heard a lot of these terms and concepts already. It was my worst psychology class so the extra review is nice. Each specific type of motivation and emotion are controlled by different sections in the brain and size does not always relate to importance. The surprising part that I didn’t seem to remember actually how important the hypothalamus actually is. The book states the hypothalamus takes up less than 1% of the area of the brain but it regulates motivation for behaviors as important as eating, drinking, and sex. The hypothalamus also controls the pituitary gland which regulates the body’s endocrine system and hormones. The hypothalamus also regulates the autonomic nervous system which controls all of the automatic functions in the body. Although small in size, the hypothalamus is not small in importance.
Just as it was in biopsychology, the most confusing concept when examining this subject is relating each part of the brain’s name with a location and a function. I understand the general concept that neurotransmitters send messages and throughout the central nervous system and different parts of the brain serve different motivational and emotional functions. It is just hard for me to remember what each part of the brain does and where it is located. This can be solved pretty easily with extra studying, however. This is also what I would like to learn more about. I don’t like to be confused so I would like to solve the confusion and learn more about the names of the different portions of the brain. I also would like to know why different things motivate different people and how that is different biologically.
I think addiction makes a little more sense now even though some of the information was review. I understand it is very difficult to quit using addictive substances, but now it makes even more sense. They produce dopamine-related pleasure and this is something the body wants more of because usually it is not harmful to the body and is also desired by the body. The brain doesn’t know it is coming from an undesired source so it continues to crave the pleasure.
Terms: hypothalamus, central nervous system, dopamine, pituitary gland, endocrine system, neurotransmitters, hormones
Chapter 3 goes into detail of all the different parts of the brain and how it's not only used for thinking, but for motivation and emotion as well. Specific brain structures, such as the hypothalamus, amygdala) control the motivational states. Then biochemical agents (neurotransmitters, hormones) encourages brain structures. Day-to-day events are what put our brain-stimulating biochemical agents into action. It talks about how "wanting" and "liking" something is different and that sometimes we aren't aware of our motivational bias.
The most surprising information to me in this chapter was the information about the prefrontal cortex and it's affects. The prefrontal cortex is what houses our conscious goals and the two sides of our prefrontal lobes create the emotion. The right side are negative and avoidance-oriented feelings whereas the left is positive. The idea that there are basic personality differences depending on what prefrontal lobe side is more sensitive makes sense to me.
For the most part, I understood everything to the best of my ability. I was a little confused between the difference of the septo-hippocampal circuit and the anterior cingulate cortex though. The book explains that the septo-hippocampal circuit plays a role in pleasure. It mentioned how if something goes how we expected, then we'll have a positive feeling and our brain will signal the "everything's okay" sign. But, if someting goes wrong then our brain will go into panic mode. Now, the anterior cingulate cortex is said to be in control of our mood and day-to-day activities. It also talks about what happens when something goes wrong, but neither one of these topics talk about how they're related, or if they are related. I would like to know more about if the anterior cingulate cortex is involved in the septo-hippocampal circuit, or if they're completely different things, but working together for almost the same thing.
My understanding of motivation has changed a lot. Before, I always just thought that being motivated to follow through with something was just pushing yourself to do it. I guess I never took the time to actually think about how it's more than just determination but that every part of your brain is working in some way to respond to whatever you're trying to motivate. Then there's also the part with the wanting something, but not liking it. After reading about this, and thinking of some examples, it all comes together and makes sense. After reading this chapter and knowing what is really happening when I'm trying to motivate myself, I think I will be more in control with meeting my goals.
Terms: Motivation, emotion, hypthalamys, amygdala, neurotransmitters, hormones, wanting, liking, prefrontal cortex, prefrontal lobes, septo-hippocampal circuit, anterior cingulate cortex
In chapter 3, there was a lot of information about motivation and the brain. It states all the different parts of the brain that trigger people to either be motivated or to show emotion. The chapter specifically talks about how researchers are able to look at the brain to study it and gives very detailed information on the specific parts such as the hippocampus and the amygdala. Another part of how the brain functions in mention in this chapetr and that is the chemical message system using neurotransmitters such as dopamine. Overall this chapter discusses all the biological sides to motivation and emotion and how the brain plays a big part in how these behaviors come about.
What I found the most surprising in this chapter was the part on wanting and liking. I never really thought of these two behaviors as motivational states in a person. I thought of them as just normal ways the brain processes day-to-day living. Instead wanting is a what motivates people to go for the goal they are trying to achieve and are later rewarded. Liking aslo motivates people after the reward to keep doing the things they enjoy. Another part of this sthat is surpirsing is that wanting and liking do not have to occur at the same time. People can want something without really liking the thing they want. an example of this would be someone wanting a job, but not nessecarily liking that they have to work. They may like getting money, but they do not like having to work somewhere to get that money. This is wanting without liking.
I did not really find anything too confusing in this chapter. It was all very well communicated and straight to the point. There definately was a lot of different parts of the brian to remember and what each one does is the hardest part of all of it. Especially when alot of the areas of the brain can do more than one thing such as the hypothalamus that regulates eating, drinking and mating and the anterior cingulate cortex that regulates everyday mood, volition, and making choices. It is also very confusing to remember where all these areas of the brain a re located and connect to other parts of the brain. These are really the only things that I find to be a little bit difficult, but not very confusing.
I am pretty interesting in learning more about the motivation behind addictions. They only covered a little bit of this in the book. Some questions that I am wondering about are if there are certain areas of the brain that are activated by certain types of drugs. For example does cocaine only harm a certain part of the brain and not another. All the book really talks about is that drugs can cause hypersensitivity in the brain to dopamine stimulation. This means that drugs, if used often enough, can cause more dopamine released than normal. I really wish the book would have expanded more on this topic.
After reading this chapter I have a better understanding of where motivation comes from biologically. It is not just slomething that happens in a social context, but it is a combination of physical/biological/social context. I also learned that not only one part of the brain deals with motivation and emotion. There are many parts of the brain that make these behaviors happen in different ways. We may not be consciously aware that are brains are trying to motivate us or why our brains are motivating us, but we do know that motivation is a big part of life that keeps people from giving up on life.
Terms: neurotransmitters, dopamine, wanting, liking, hypothalamus, anterior cingulate cortex, hypersensitivity, dopamine release.
Chapter 3 was all about how the brain plays a role in motivation and decision making. In this chapter they talked about the three principles in motivation and emotion in the brain, they are 1) specific brain structures generate specific motivations, 2) biochemical agents stimulate specific brain structures, and 3) day-to-day events stir biochemical agents into action. FMRIs measure brain activity while a person experiences some motivational and emotional state. Then the chapter continued to discuss different brain areas that play different key roles in motivation, emotion, and decision making. Some of those areas are the hypothalamus (responsible for pleasurable feelings associated with feeding, drinking, and mating), the medial forebrain bundle (the pleasure center and reinforcement), the anterior cingulate cortex (responsible for mood, volition, and decision making), and the reticular formation (responsible for arousal). The chapter finished with a discussion of neurotransmitters which are chemical messengers within the brain’s central nervous system. Four motivationally relevant neurotransmitter pathways are dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and endorphin.
In my other psychology classes and my biopsychology class we talked about different areas of the brain and what they are responsible for but I was really surprised to learn that the orbitofrontal cortex processes information and helps people make decisions. I didn’t know that one area of the brain is responsible for decision making. Learning about the brain always surprises me.
I wasn’t really confused by anything in this chapter but I was overwhelmed learning all the different structures and what they control. Some of the brain structures in this chapter have similar responsibilities and it is a little confusing learning the differences between some of them. I do want to learn more in detail about each brain structure. I think the brain is amazing but only so much information was in this chapter.
My understanding of motivation has change drastically over these first few weeks of this class and after reading this chapter. This chapter has taught me the different brain structures and how they are associated to motivation and emotion. I also have a much better understanding to why it is so hard for addicts to quit or why people engage in risky behavior.
Terms: fMRI, hypothalamus, medial forebrain bundle, anterior cingulate cortex, reticular formation, neurotransmitters, dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, endorphin, orbitofrontal cortex.
This chapter was about the internal workings of the brain that lead to visible behaviors. There are three main principles listed the are needed to understand this connection and provide a good outline for the rest of the information from the chapter. "Specific brain structures generate specific motivation" and all of these are pretty self explanatory. Each brain structure has its own set functions and when they are activated, they provide a motivation specific to that structure. "Biochemical agents stimulate specific brain structures"; the activation of those specific brain structures in the first point is caused by these biochemical agents. Neurotransmitters and hormones are the messengers in the brain that tell structures when to activate and thus provide motivation. "Day-to-day events stir biochemical agents into action" is the very first step leading back in the list. Everything that happens in a day stirs your neurotransmitters and hormones, giving them direction to activate structures and then motivate behavior. With the ghrenlin/leptin example used so often in the book I will describe this process.
When you go through the day and forget to eat lunch, that event, missing lunch starts the process. Your body reacts to this event by producing ghrelin, the hormone that controls hunger. That ghrelin stimlates a structure called the hypothalamus which is involved in the approach motivation for the basic physiological needs that we will go over in the next chapter (eating, drinking, etc.). That brain structure then generates the motivation to approach food, what we feel as hunger. Our body goes through these steps automatically and we rarely think about the steps leading to such motivations.
There are ways of seeing the process describe above in action. Using brain surgery or mapping via fMRI, we can see the areas of the brain that activate during specific event states and stimulations and what affects they have through the brain. It goes on to discuss each structure that we would be most familiar with and what role they play in motivation. Some structures are approach-oriented, meaning their function leads to seeking out something. There are also avoidance-oriented structures that motivate us to avoid situations or feelings. There is also one structure listed as arousal-oriented and that is neither toward or away from, just motivating a state of arousal.
The chapter continues onto the hormones and neurotransmitters, specifically dopamine and its role in reward and addiction. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, a messenger, that is tied to feeling good. This can be a big part of addiction because of the motivation that dopamine provides to feel good is mimicked by drugs and they can actually overrun the system making it less effective. That is why addiction is such a big problem, it can change brain function and make things that were once rewarding, not enjoyable any longer. Which I find to be the most interesting part of this chapter. Addiction is a very controversial topic and having taken biopsych, I've got some knowledge about it already. The biggest interest is in the hypersensitization, that lack of enjoyment from previously enjoyable things, that addictive drugs can do. I would like to find out if there is a possible way to speed up the return to normal after getting clean since it can sometimes last years afterwards.
Having taken my biopsychology class, most of this chapter was review for me but motivation is very much unconscious and that would be the biggest way my idea of it has changed. One would typically think about motivation as something driving action and it is but it can be entirely unknown to the person who's being driven. All of our lives are based upon our body running itself with our brain in control even when we don't know what it's thinking.
terms: neurotransmitter, hormone, hypothalamus, approach-oriented structure, avoidance-oriented structure, dopamine, hypersensitization
Chapter three discusses the brain’s functions, how they relate to motivation and emotion, and the things the brain can make us experience like hunger, pleasure, and certain needs. There are three principles to the brain’s motivational processes. Specific brain structures generate specific motivations, biochemical agents stimulate specific brain structures, and daily events stir biochemical agents into action. The chapter also explains that currently the best way of looking into the brain is through and fMRI, or functional magnetic resonance imaging. The machine detects changes in the blood during brain activity. The chapter also discusses all the different parts of their brain, such as the hypothalamus (related to pleasure feelings with mating and eating, etc.), amygdala (response to danger or threat), and hippocampus (inhibition system for unexpected events). Each has a different role in motivation and emotion and some work together.
There wasn’t a lot of information in here that I found extremely surprising. I did take biological psychology this past spring so thankfully a lot of it is still fresh in my mind. One thing I did find fascinating was that some people have sensitive right prefrontal lobes that make them more susceptible to negative emotions, and some people have more sensitive left prefrontal lobes that make them more susceptible to positive emotions. I’m pretty sure I’m envious of those when sensitive left prefrontal lobes!
The parts in the chapter that were a little confusing to me were about neurotransmitters in the nervous system. Neurotransmitters themselves aren’t so confusing, but whenever I think about how they work at a smaller scale I start to imagine everything from biopsychology and it is quite the process! I also feel like the section about the prefrontal cortex is just a lot of information to think about, I had to re-read the section a few times to let it sink in. Basically there is a lot going on in the prefrontal cortex, and when trying to figure out the BIS and the BAS scales I got a little lost.
I definitely want to take more time to review the parts of the brain and the roles that they all have, specifically in the prefrontal cortex. If it is confusing to me then I should take extra time in understanding it, but I hoping it will at least be covered some in class. I would like to learn more about animals and how they will self-administer different certain impulses/rewards/incentives to themselves to get that dopamine release. It shows how strong it really is.
My opinion on motivation hasn’t changed all that much but there were certainly some interesting points made in the book and it helps you understand how everyone can be so different, even though we are made up relatively the same.
Terms: Neurotransmitter, prefrontal cortex, fMRI, hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, prefrontal lobes
Chapter three was all about how motivation and emotion work within the brain. It went into detail about all the parts of the brain that trigger motivation and emotion, as well as all of the hormones and neurotransmitters, and day-to-day events that are related to these subjects. The chapter first discussed the hypothalamus as the motivational giant that regulates physiological needs; the orbitofrontal cortex plays a role in incentive motivation and goal selection; the amygdala detects and responds to threatening and emotionally significant events; the reticular formation plays a role in arousal and the process of awakening the brain's motivational and emotional concerns, among many more. The chapter then discussed the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and endorphin. These are all chemical messengers in the brain that are linked to motivation and emotion. Finally, the chapter discussed hormones are that integral to motivation and emotion: cortisol, testosterone, and oxytocin.
What was most surprising to me in this chapter was the amount of different parts of the brain that are closely linked to motivation and emotion, and that even parts of the brain that are no more than 1% of the total make up of the brain (hypothalamus) can play such a huge role in these studies. In Intro to Psych, I learned the basics of this information, but I never realized that so many different parts of the brain and chemicals within our brain contribute to even the smallest of the ever-changing emotions that we feel every second. However, what confused me in this chapter was HOW this all occurs. How is everything linked so perfectly, so that it can be studied and related back to all human beings, and even some animals? How do the neurotransmitters work all throughout the brain so that all the information is read at and brought to the correct part of the brain? The concepts are so interesting, but I just can't grasp the 'how' of everything.
I want to learn more about the left and right prefrontal lobes. The section about which side does what is so interesting. As first I thought I was more vulnerable to positive emotionality (left side), but then I kept reading about the BAS/BIS system. BAS is the behavioral activation system and BIS is the behavioral inhibition system. After reading about this, and reading the questionnaire, I realized I am more vulnerable to negative emotionality (the right side). This is so interesting to me.
My understanding of motivation has changed a lot. The first two chapter gave a lot of definitions and history that left me with questions. But now that I've read more about the actual systems of motivation and emotion and how they tie into real-life situations, I feel like I have a better idea as to the whole concept of motivation and emotion. I think that now I am interested in learning about the external events that effect motivation and emotion and will have a much clearer understanding of the background information.
Terms: hypothalamus, orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala, reticular formation, neurotransmitters, hormones, prefrontal lobes, BIS, BAS
Chapter three breaks down motivation and emotion based on brain functions. The three main principles that are based on the knowledge of brain function for motivation and emotion are the following; specific brain structures generate specific motivations, biochemical agents stimulate specific brain structures, and day-to-day events stir biochemical agents into action. Each action has motivation and emotion behind it and this chapter breaks down what brain part is at function when making a decision or acting on a behavior.Three main brain structures are associated with motivation and emotion, this includes; approach-oriented structures, avoidance-oriented structures, and the arousal-oriented structure. These brain structures each have their own direct experience associated with motivation and emotion. The table on page 54 breaks down each experience and helps the reader develop a more detailed idea to connect the ideas of the brain with. This chapter develops a lot on each aspect of the brain, however, there are a few that seem to have a larger part when coming to motivation and emotion. The "motivational giant" regulates a large range of functions for physiological needs. The hypothalamus regulates wants and needs as well as the endocrine system and nervous system. The motivational giant controls the bodies need to react and adapt to each situations needs. Another brain structure that seems to be important in the brain function of motivation and emotion is the medial forebrain bundle. The book names the medial forebrain as the "pleasure center", it is connected to many other aspects of the brain and many important pathways. Pleasure and stimulation seem to be a large aspect in motivation and emotion, because all acts are educed by the idea of reward or action. The orbitofrontal cortex seems to have guidance in our decisions and behavior. This area helps people develop choices and make decisions based on goals or incentives. The amygdala is the interconnected nuclei for motivation and emotion. In summary it helps with the emotions associations and helps the body adapt and create the emotion needed in a particular situation. Hormones play a large part in our bodies emotional development and the brains functions. This chapter made me very interested in the hormone side of the brain. I would be very interested to do research on the bodies hormones based on behavior. The prefrontal cortex is another main part of the brain that is effected by motivation and emotion. It deals with the incoming stimulations, although, most are automatic it continues to function with the rest of the brain to create further behavior or action. Response is highly active in this area of the brain as well. Emotions react with a certain side of the brain to develop understanding and emotion. The chapter further develops this area into two systems, behavioral inhibition system and the behavioral activation system. These systems associate emotion with positive or negative. The brain's development is successful based on its communication. The brains neurotransmitters send messages to each aspect of the brain to motivate action and behavior. The end of the chapter explains the hormone aspect of motivation.
Overall this chapter was an information overload. I personally read the chapter, took notes, and read the chapter again. The most surprising aspect of the chapter is how extensive the brain is when it comes to emotion and motivation. There is so much to understand and learn that it intimidates me as well as intrigues me. One thing that I would like to learn more on is the motives behind the bodies functions. I want to know more based on the bodies addictions and the brains functions behind them. I also was interested in the liking and wanting aspect of the chapter. I really wish the book would have pushed further into information about this. My knowledge has further developed to more than just natural aspects of motivation and emotion it has developed to the brain.
Brain,biochemical agents, stimulate, approach-oriented structure, avoidance-oriented, arousal-oriented structure, hypothalamus, medial forebrain bundle, orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala, hormones, prefrontal cortex,
Chapter 3 talked about the key components that are activated in our brain when we are motivated. All motivational and emotional states involve brain participation. The chapter talked about the three main ways we determine the motivational process in the brain, mapping out which brain structures are associated with which spends motivational states, investigating how the brain structures that are associated with motivational states become activated, and understanding how day to day events in people’s lives create this activation process. The book talks about how chemicals in our body (neurotransmitters) are activated when certain situations happen to us. These neurotransmitters are released and tell our brain to behave in a certain way. An example of this would be food deprivation which leads to our body releasing Ghrelin (a Hormone) into our bloodstream. Ghrelin stimulates the hypothalamus which then creates the psychological experience of hunger. Different areas of our brain control different experiences. The hypothalamus deals with pleasurable feelings associated with feeding, drinking, and eating, medial forebrain deals with pleasure and reinforcement, orbitofrontal cortex deals with learning the incentive value of events/making choices, the Septal area deals with pleasure from sociability and sexuality, Nucleus accumbens deals with pleasurable experience of reward, hotspot for liking, anterior cingulate cortex deals with mood, volition, and making choices, cerebral cortex deals with making plans, setting goals, formulating intentions, left prefrontal cerebral cortex deals with approach motivational and emotional tendencies, medial prefrontal cerebral cortex deals with learning response-outcome contingencies. All those brain functions dealt with approach-oriented structures but there are also avoidance oriented structures. The right prefrontal cerebral cortex deals with withdraw motivational and emotional tendencies, the amygdala deals with detecting and responding to threat and danger, and the hippocampus deals with behavioral inhibition system during unexpected events. Finally, there’s one area of the brain that deals with arousal and that’s the reticular formation. Once you understand all these functions and how the neurotransmitters activate these areas, it’s easy to see how we are motivated by certain things such as hunger.
The information that was most surprising to me was that our brain splits up so many different tasks to different areas of the brain. When I think of the brain, I think of one solid whole that does all the thinking. Obviously that’s not the case because the brain is split into many different areas. It just amazes me that simple emotions are dealt with in different areas of the brain. So if I’m aroused my reticular formation is telling me what decisions I should make to help respond to the urge but if I’m in danger my amygdala tells my body to respond to a threat by sense of fear, anger, or anxiety.
I don’t really think any information was really confusing to me. If you read the book, it very clearly explained each part of the brain and it’s response to a motivator. If there’s one thing I want that was clear or I wanted to learn more about, it would have to be the 3 hormones discuess (cortisol, testosterone, and oxytocin. It would have been interesting to learn more about the effects of each. I especially would like to learn more about the effect of testosterone in men and cheating in a relationship.
I would say that my understanding of motivation and emotion has increased a lot from this chapter. I now know when I experience emotion where and what kind of motivation is taking place when it happens. In my mind when I experience fear I can tell myself that the amygdala must be kicking in and etc. Obviously this is only the book is only talking about the basic understanding of each area of the brain but I think I better understand how it all works.
Terms: neurotransmitters, cortisol, testosterone, oxytocin, hypothalamus, medial forebrain bundle, orbitofrontal cortex, septal area, nucleus accumbens, anterior cingulate cortex, cerebral cortex, left prefrontal cerebral cortex, medial prefrontal cerebral cortex, right prefrontal cerebral cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, reticular formation .
Chapter 3 dealt with how the brain and it's different parts are involved with motivation and emotion. The brain is the starting area for all of our pleasures, wants, needs, and all other types of emotion. The brain could be described as the "star of the show." The way the brain creates motivations and emotions can be described in three principles: brain structures, biochemical agents, and day-to-day events. The way the brain performs these tasks can be observed with certain techniques like fMRI. Neurotransmitters are basically the messengers that communicate in the brain. The four neurotransmitter pathways related to motivation and emotion are dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and endorphin. Dopamine emits a positive feeling. The dopamine pathway is especially important because it is related to rewards, addictions, and motivated action. Dopamine is also important to explaining how a motivation is transferred into an action.
The information that is always so surprising to me when it comes to studying the brain is how the different parts are involved with creating an action out of an emotion. It's also really interesting to see how dopamine experiments affect animal test subjects. I really like the study that involves the rat pressing the lever that releases dopamine or a drug. I feel that it's an excellent study to explain how reward and motivated action are created.
The parts of the chapter that confused me the most are what all the different parts of the brain do. There are just so many parts of the brain, it can be a bit overwhelming to remember what they all do. This is also what I want to learn more about. I feel like the more I am explained this information, the easier it will be for me to remember it.
This chapter has given me more of an insight on how motivation and emotions are created. This explains the "birthplace" of emotions and motivations. If someone that was not taking this class was asked where emotions came from, it would be quite difficult for them to explain. This chapter definitely explains that quite well
Terms: fMRI, neurotransmitter, dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and endorphin.
The first aspect of chapter three talks about specific brain structures, biochemical agents, and day to day events that stir these agents. I think this was the main focus of that chapter so I will focus most on these things. Different brain structures become stimulated and allow specific motivational states to take place. For example, stimulating part of the hypothalamus increases hunger, while stimulating a different part of the hypothalamus increases satiety. These things drive the motivation to eat or to halt eating. These brain structures get stimulated by biochemical agents called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters have a direct access to the nervous system. Different events can stir these biochemical agents and create an emotional and motivational reaction. The emotions or motivations created could be the experience of hunger. This is a motivational force. There are also approach oriented structures as well as avoidance oriented structures. Hypothalamus is an approach oriented structures, amygdale and hippocampus are structures with the avoidance oriented structures, prefrontal cortex is associated with both, and the reticular formation is associated with the arousal oriented structure. I think these things were most confusing to me because I have a hard time keeping up with various technical terms in the brain. That would be my least favorite part of psychology. I mean it is interesting to learn about how the brain works, but all of the different names and terms in the brain confuse me.
Dopamine was another important aspect of the chapter as well. When dopamine is released it generates good feelings. Different events release more dopamine than others. This is one of the topics I found most interesting and want to learn more about. It’s amazing to me how a release of a chemical in the brain can create such a positive feeling. I didn’t know that dopamine is always present in the brain and it just varies in intensity, so that was very surprising to me. I’ve had some good things happen to me yesterday and today so I thought it was pretty funny and was telling my friends that my dopamine is being released at a higher rate than usual. I found it interesting that when our dopamine is released we want to keep engaging in that activity or feeling that happy emotion, so we are motivated to continue those behaviors.
I think that learning the biological/physiological aspects of motivation and emotion helped me to better understand how these events take place and why they occur how they do. Before reading this I didn’t realize how complex the process of motivation and emotion was. It takes a lot in the brain to motivate and cause a reaction. I had never focused on the physical brain aspect before.
Terms: hypothalamus, biochemical agents, neurotransmitters, amygdale, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, reticular formation, avoidance orientated, approach orientated, arousal orientated, dopamine
Chapter 3 started off by stating three principles of understanding the brain and motivation which are: specific brain structures generate specific motivations, biochemical agents stimulate specific brain structures and day-to-day events stir biochemical agents into action. It then went onto talking about MRI’s and how professionals use an MRI machine to better understand the brain and it’s functions by studying brain activity.
From this chapter I learned how the brain works. The brain is the center of motivation and emotion. The different brains structures help create the different types of motivation we encounter. Our brain is pretty much in control of everything! Dopamine is responsible for our happy feelings.
This ties back to the smoking article, when I used to see people smoking I’d ask myself “why don’t they just quit? they know it’s bad”. After learning in this class I now know it isn’t that easy for some people .I was surprised that motivation is a lot more complex than I first thought. I also found it surprising that motivation and emotion can be biological. I always thought our motivation came from our decisions. Reading chapter 3, I learned our brain makes our unconscious decisions.
I would like to learn more about the brain in general. All of the brain’s different functions confuses me and makes me want to learn more about it. I would also like to learn more about the motivation for hunger as I am sure many people do. The chapter stated that our brain creates the experience of hunger. I find that interesting and would like to learn more about it.
My understanding of motivation has changed after reading chapter 3. I now realize motivation is biological and not as simple as I once assumed. Before I just thought some people were more driven than others and some people were just plain lazy. I now know there is an actual reasoning behind their actions or lack of them.
Terms: Dopamine, neurotransmitters, limbic system
Chapter three was obviously crammed with information about the brain, hence the chapter name, and how the brain is not just important for cognitive and intellectual functioning but also that it is in charge of emotions and motivations in our everyday life. Also that the brain is the center structure for our motivations and emotions we are surrounded with in our everyday lives. The chapter explains that in order for us to understand how motivation and emotion works inside our brain we must understand the different structures of the brain, and also that each structure depending on how it is stimulated can have different effects. Another point, or as the book refers to it, a principle, throughout our body we have biochemical’s and these chemicals depending on if we are lacking or over producing then plays a part when in communication with the brain. The chapter then went into parts of the brain that generated avoidance and the parts that generated approach, the Hypothalamus being an example of an approach and the amygdala being an example of avoidance. The chapter then continued on to talk about different parts of the brain and their functions, and gradually went into to neurotransmitters, which basically send messages throughout the body, a form of communication through the Central Nervous System. There are 4 motivational pathways for neurotransmitters. Dopamine or the good feeling from being rewarded after a behavior. Serotonin is our mood and emotional control or influence. Norepinephrine, our arousal and alertness states, and fourth endorphins, which control our pain receptors, anxiety, fear, by balancing bad feelings with good feelings. In the end from reading this chapter I came to the conclusion that the main point was we need to realize motives and emotions can come deep from within us, and they can be more than just environmental factors and that we are not always conscious of the motives for our behavior.
Some information that was most surprising to me would firstly have been the introduction to the chapter and talking about dieting and weight, being a person who can be self conscious about her weight and has done multiple diets, I just figured I should be hungry because hunger and not feeding that hunger would mean weight loss, right? Obviously not, it just results in maybe 5 pounds lost and 10 gained because you binge eat as soon as you get a taste of whatever it is you have been craving. This part was interesting to me because it explained that there is a chemical in our body, Ghrelin, and that by starving ourselves we actually crave and want more due to this hormone. Another bit of information I found interesting was the section on liking and wanting. It’s a no-brainer to know what liking and wanting are, but when it comes to motivation it’s actually very interesting. I found that you can want something that you actually don’t like to be amusing, because I had never considered something like that.
Information that was most confusing to me was the section about the hypothalamus and more specifically when it talked about the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland. I actually felt like I was singing the song “the heel bones connected to the foot bone, the foot bones connected to the leg bone” because as I continued reading my brain seemed to speed up and try to read it faster( just like when reciting that song) because it continuously said the “hypothalamus is connected to the pituitary gland, the pituitary glands connected to …” and so I found this information to be a little bit confusing because the information presented seemed so scrambled. So technically if I really wanted to understand the information presented I should have read and reread the material until I understood it, but obviously I was not motivated to do that; perhaps because the song it reminded me of annoyed me as a child.
Information that I would like to learn more about would have to be just information about the brain in general, I feel as if the brain is something that as time continues on it’s just going to get more and more complex and interesting. Things we think we know now, will be wrong in the future or possibly become further developed and result in a huge medical breakthrough. Something else that peaked my interest would be how to control a social environment so that I can produce certain motivations and emotions.
My understanding of motivation and emotion has changed in the way that I know understand how certain chemicals, whether in a surplus or deficit throughout the body, affects the brain, which then stimulates certain areas of the brain, which in return have different effects on a personals motivation and or emotion in a certain situation. This chapter also helped me realize that motives in our lives aren’t necessarily things we can verbally pinpoint, motivations and emotions go much deeper than that.
Terms: biochemicals, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, hormones, dopamine, seretonin, neurotransmitters, liking and wanting, norepinephrines, endorphins,amygdala, approach ,avoidance,
Chapter 3 was about the interactions in the brain and its relation to motivation and emotion. The brain is responsible for virtually everything that happens in your body. From maintaining homeostasis to your emotions, wants and pleasures. There are three main principles when studying the brain to keep in mind. They are: Specific brain structures generate specific motivational states, biochemical agents stimulate these brain structures, and day-to-day events stir brain-stimulation biochemical agents into action. With new imaging devices (such as fMRI), we can further our knowledge on which areas of the brain are associated with certain stimulations. Then it goes on to talk about the different structures of the brain. It talked about positive feelings and negative feelings. Structures associated with positive feeling (approaching motivations) are hypothalamus, medial forebrain bundle, septal area, orbitofrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, medial prefrontal cortex, and left prefrontal cortex. Structures linked to negative feelings (avoidance motivation) are the amygdala, hippocampus, and right prefrontal cortex. Then it goes on and talks about neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers in the brain that allows communication. Four neurotransmitter pathways associated with motivation are dopamine, serotonin, non epinephrine, and endorphin. Dopamine seemed to be the main neurotransmitter that dealt with motivation.
What surprised me was complexity of motivation and emotion. There is so much that goes on in the brain before we can even think. When it comes to motivation, there are so many factors that can affect our behavior. It seems that our brain's structures communicate with one another through neurotransmitters.
This chapter wasn't too confusing to me. I thought the book organized the chapter pretty well in terms of talking about the structures of the brain and their role, then moving to neurotransmitters, and then talks about the hormones. I didn't think it was too overwhelming. I thought it did a good job explaining each brain structure and dopamine.
I am pretty interested in learning more about brain structures and the other neurotransmitters. It only explained dopamine, while mentioning serotonin , norepinephrine, and endorphin. I think learning more specifically how these neurotransmitters work would be really interesting.
After reading this chapter, I have a better understanding on what goes on in the brain when it comes to motivation and emotion. I understand that it isn't just one part of the brain that deals with motivation and emotion, but many parts of the brain communicating with each other. Also that your hormones have a big impact on your emotions. The last part of the chapter talks about how we aren't always consciously aware of the motivational basis of our behavior.
Terms: hypothalamus, medial forebrain bundle, septal area, orbitofrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, medial prefrontal cortex, left prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, right prefrontal cortex, neurotransmitter, dopamine, serotonin, non epinephrine, endorphin
Most part of this chapter focuses on brain structures related to motivation and the neurotransmitter dopamine. The author used much less space to describe other neurotransmitters and hormones. As shown in Table 3.1 some brain parts can be categorized according to their motivating effects. The author chose approach, avoidance, and arousal as three major types of motivation.
The surprising fact in the chapter is the different sensitivity of left and right prefrontal lobes among people. This difference is associated with different personalities. I got the impression from the biopsychology class that different sides of the brain control motor skills of different body parts. It turned out that this asymmetry also applies to some kind of emotional sensation. Table 3.2 demonstrates how one side of brain responds to feelings of certain context.
The confusing part is, of course, the brain anatomy. One thing I learned from the biopsychology class is that the textbook author will always throw a bunch of Latin words at you, and you can never find all those words in one single picture. What is worse is that some of these words never show up in figures, so there is no way you can tell just exactly where they are. The only thing you can do is accepting their invisible, imaginary existence.
I would like to learn more about how other brain parts relate to motivation and emotion. Also many neurotransmitters are left out of the chapter, and there is limited explanation of hormones. I suppose neurotransmitters would play a big part in motivation, since they energize the whole nervous system.
After reading the chapter I understand that personalities are related to differences in brain functions. In that sense emotional characteristics of a person would influence how the person gets motivated. Thus the biological response decides emotional baseline, and motivation is built on this foundation.
Chapter three talked all about the brain and how it influences how and when we are motivated and when and hwy we have emotions. As the book says, the brain is the center of motivation and emotion. The brain's function is to help us figure out why we want to do things, and our mood whilst doing that particular thing. The chapter went into detail about how different areas of the brain, like the hypothalamus (part of the brain associated with pleasurable feelings), the amygdala (helping with the detection of threats or dangers - fear, anger or anxiety), hippocampus (part of the brain that we use when unexpected events arise), and much, much more. A large portion of the chapter was dedicated to neurotransmitters (communication, or messengers within our central nervous system), specifically dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is released to generate good feelings.
The most surprising part of this chapter was how many parts of the brain go into motivation and emotion. It isn't simply one or two parts that take over, there are so many! From table 3.1 I counted 13 brain structures that are associated with a motivational or emotional experience. Some overlap, which is confusing, but none the less, all are very interesting.
The most confusing part of this chapter overlaps my surprising aspect of it. I was surprised there were so many different parts of the brain that fueled our motivation and emotions, but also very confused. I was confused because it seemed like there were several parts that pretty much took care of the same one thing. For example, the Hypothalamus, Septal Area, the Nucleus accumbens, and Medial forbrain bundle; they are all associated with pleasure. I would be interested to see an MRI (snap shot of the brain to indicate which part of the brain is being stimulated when given a certain stimuli) to see which areas of the brain actually light up when stimulated with different pleasures. Do they all light up? Do some?
This is what I would like to learn more about; why are there so many different pleasure-brain structures and why do they seem to overlap? I understand that there are different pleasures, but not THAT many, right?
My understanding of motivation and emotion has changed a lot since learning more about the brain and different brain structures associated with M and E. I have become more familiar with where exactly our motivation (from inside ourselves) comes from. The "unknown" has become known as far as voluntary motivation that normal people cannot explain. Dopamine was a great thing to learn more about through the smoking article we did on Tuesday. This will help me in my health coaching business and helping people stay motivated to get their lives back! :)
Terms: Dopamine, hypothalamus, medial forebrain bundle, septal area, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, hippocampus, MRI, neurotransmitters
Chapter 3 has a bunch of information on how the brain works and how it correlates with motivation and emotion. Not only is the brain the center of the nervous system, but it is the center of motivation and emotion. This happens whether we are aware of it or not. The book teaches us the different structures in the brain help to create the different types of motivation we experience as human beings. Some of these parts are: the hypothalamus (regulates our motivation to physiological needs), medial forebrain bundle (pleasure center), amygdale (detects/responds to threatening events) are to just name a few. Late in the chapter is discusses how neurotransmitters (dopamine) are involved in motivation.
I took a biological psychology class a few years ago and at one point I learned about most of these common terms of the brain, but I totally forgot how complex the brain was. The human brain is so diverse and to learn how different parts are stimulated by precise events is beyond belief. In my opinion, it is almost genius that these researchers are able to understand what each of these structures does and how they respond in certain circumstances. This is why the brain is so intriguing because it is such an exciting thing to learn about, but it can be confusing as well. It is tough to really grasp some of the information about the brain since it is so complex and diverse. The terminology can be tough to remember. That is why the brain, for me, is very fun to learn about, but can also be a struggle.
If I was able to continue to learn more about this topic, I would want to get a better understanding of why we all get motivated differently. Why is it some respond in a positive manner, whereas, some are the exact opposite? Especially during movies. If the brain mechanisms all have specified roles and responses, then why would we not all react in similar ways to a movie? If something is funny everybody should laugh, but that is not the case. Why is that?
Throughout the chapter my understanding was slightly increasing along the way. Gaining a basic idea of how the brain works when it comes to motivation helps. Also, understanding that motivation behind certain behaviors is starting to be explained to me.
Terms: hypothalamus, medial forebrain bundle, amygdale, neurotransmitters
Chapter three was about the brain and how different parts of the brain contribute to our motivations and emotion. The brain is the center of motivation and emotion. The brain cared about whether you want to do something and/or what kind of mood you are having while doing it. The chapter started off by discussing about three principles. The principles were made by researchers “to understand the brain-based motivational process.” The first principle is specific brain structures generate specific motivation, so basically the researchers map out which brain structures relate to specific motivations. The second principle is, biochemical agents stimulate specific brain structures, which is, how the brain structures make the motivations active. The final principle is, day-to-day events stir biochemical agents into action, and this principle is like, how day-to-day events create the activation process. As the chapter goes on we are introduced to different structures of the brain and how they contribute towards our motivation and emotion process. A part of the brain that I found most interesting was about the Orbitofrontal Cortex. This cortex is the brain structure that processes incentive-related information that helps individuals make choices between their options. I feel like I use this part of my brain all the time. I am always stuck trying to figure out what I am going to order on the menu. Usually when I go out to eat I have to ask the waiter to take my order last since most of the time I have no idea what I should eat. There is actually one restaurant where I can sit down and not look at a menu; I order the same thing every time I eat there. I tend to eat there a lot since I do not have to choose what I want to eat. I would have to say that the section I found most confusing was the Septo-Hippocampal Circuit. I think I had to read that section more than once and I still did not fully understand what it was taking about. I think all the limbic structures had something to do with it. I just feel like that one structure has so many mini structures in it that it confused me. Another section of the chapter I found interesting was the left and right prefrontal lobe of the brain. The chapter discussed different attributes of the two sides. The left sided people score higher on the BAS while the right sided persons show greater scores on the BIS. When reading the questions on the next page I agreed more with the BIS questionnaire. This means I show more sensitivity to punishment, negative emotions, and avoidance-oriented behaviors. Every time I can relate to something, and find myself thinking “hey that’s me” it interests me more than other things do.
The chapter was a biopsychological chapter. It details the biological basis for many motivations. Most of them are caused by hormones or by how sections of our neurons interact in order to help evaluate choices. The summary boils down to Specific brain structures generate specific motivations, Biochemical agents stimulate specific brain structures, and Day to day events activate biochemical agents. The resultant causal chain is the source of motivations and emotions.
What information was most surpising to you?
The table on Ghrenlin and the effects of dieting is troublesome, but mostly because it doesn't mention how long it would take for your body to return to it's base values. It's something that I'm curious about. Is it simply countered be Leptin, potentially leading to continually increasing levels until there are other negative side effects generated by an overabundance of one of these hormones. Also, since Leptin comes from Adipose tissue, does that mean that those with lower body fat content have an inhibited ability to produce Ghrenlin. Also, what is the link between sleep deprivation and generation of Ghrenlin.
The Hypothalamus was also covered. It controls motivations linked to survival and the production of offspring. Because it is linked to mate selection, almost has to play a role in sexuality. It also controls the Pituitary Gland and the Autonomic Nervous system
The section on the Medial Forebrain Bundle was incredibly interesting. It's role as a pleasure center plays a vital role in positive reinforcement. The differences between other animals and humans is one important part to focus on from the perspective of brain development.
The Medial Forebrain Bundle when directly stimulated was implied by the text to generate stronger feelings of pleasure in animals. It seemed to have a limited effect on humans. The question then becomes why? The advantage of having a weak pleasure center is that it forces the brain to develop stronger other areas related to reward/punishment and choice selection.
While the Hypothalamus is more concerned with survival through sustenance seeking and mate selection, the Amygdala is focused on another equally important aspect of survival, not dying. The best part of the section on the Amygdala is where it seems to cause a biological link between survival to emotional well being.
Equally as interesting is the many effects that occur when the Amygdala is inhibited. By lacking in self preservation oriented behaviors. It begins to show just how many behaviors are vital to survival in humans and shows just how biologically tied to social structures we are.
Looking at this chapter. It's easy to see why there are people who take the stance that the brain is totally biological, that the mind only exists because it is supported by physical structures. You could even argue that social context are the specific triggering events that lead to the specific hormones at certain levels. I think there is something more though. It boils down to the philosophy of Science. Science is great at telling us how something happens but how isn't always why.
The chapter was a biopsychological chapter. It details the biological basis for many motivations. Most of them are caused by hormones or by how sections of our neurons interact in order to help evaluate choices. The summary boils down to Specific brain structures generate specific motivations, Biochemical agents stimulate specific brain structures, and Day to day events activate biochemical agents. The resultant causal chain is the source of motivations and emotions.
What information was most surpising to you?
The table on Ghrelin and the effects of dieting is troublesome, but mostly because it doesn't mention how long it would take for your body to return to it's base values. It's something that I'm curious about. Is it simply countered be Leptin, potentially leading to continually increasing levels until there are other negative side effects generated by an overabundance of one of these hormones. Also, since Leptin comes from Adipose tissue, does that mean that those with lower body fat content have an inhibited ability to produce Ghrelin. Also, what is the link between sleep deprivation and generation of Ghrelin.
The Hypothalamus was also covered. It controls motivations linked to survival and the production of offspring. Because it is linked to mate selection, almost has to play a role in sexuality. It also controls the Pituitary Gland and the Autonomic Nervous system
The section on the Medial Forebrain Bundle was incredibly interesting. It's role as a pleasure center plays a vital role in positive reinforcement. The differences between other animals and humans is one important part to focus on from the perspective of brain development.
The Medial Forebrain Bundle when directly stimulated was implied by the text to generate stronger feelings of pleasure in animals. It seemed to have a limited effect on humans. The question then becomes why? The advantage of having a weak pleasure center is that it forces the brain to develop stronger other areas related to reward/punishment and choice selection.
While the Hypothalamus is more concerned with survival through sustenance seeking and mate selection, the Amygdala is focused on another equally important aspect of survival, not dying. The best part of the section on the Amygdala is where it seems to cause a biological link between survival to emotional well being.
Equally as interesting is the many effects that occur when the Amygdala is inhibited. By lacking in self preservation oriented behaviors, it begins to show just how many behaviors are vital to survival in humans and shows just how biologically tied to social structures we are.
Looking at this chapter. It's easy to see why there are people who take the stance that the brain is totally biological, that the mind only exists because it is supported by physical structures. You could even argue that social context are the specific triggering events that lead to the specific hormones at certain levels. I think there is something more though. It boils down to the philosophy of Science. Science is great at telling us how something happens but how isn't always why.
Definitions
Hormones- Chemical released by a cell or gland that affects cells in a different part of the organism.
Ghrelin-The hormone that stimulates hunger.
Leptin- The hormone that inhibits hunger.
Adipose-Body fat cells.
Pituitary Gland- The so called master gland that secretes many of the regulatory hormones.
Autonomic Nervous System- The part of the nervous system that controls most of the systems that operate below the conscious level.
This chapter dealt with biopsych. It mentions that most of our motivations happen because of hormones or the interaction of neurons. There are three principles for how motivation and emotion play a part in the brain. One is in brain structures which is the generator of motivational states. Two, the biochemical agents are the stimulators of the brain structures. And thirdly, day to day events create brain-stimulation biochemical agents that go into action. This chapter brings up terms such as, hypothalamus, medial forebrain bundle, orbitofrontal cortex, amygdale, septo-hippocampus circuit, anterior cingulate cortex, reticular formation, and prefrontal cortex, which are all included in the structure of the brain. Neurotransmitters and hormones are all brought up in this chapter as well.
Something that surprised me in this chapter would have to be learning more about the hippocampus and how it works with other limbic structures. Basically hippocampus is in charge of incoming sensory information which it compares it to the already stored memory information. If new information matches up to what is expected, it’ll give the okay, but if it doesn’t, then it won’t give the okay. Hippocampus is able to activate the whole of septo-hippocampal circuit which is where anxiety and arousal occur. This was all very interesting for me to read about because I’ve read about the hippocampus before, but finding out new information not just on this but anything I’ve learned in the past is always intriguing for me.
I have learned more about the brain and it’s structures inside. I knew a little bit from a few previous classes, but I had forgotten all that each structure does and it’s especially interesting to learn more about what that certain structure is influenced where motivation and emotion are concerned. I’d also like to learn more on addictions. What makes people become so addicted to things, while others don’t have a problem with addictions at all. The dopamine that is released in addictive drugs is crazy to me and I’d like to learn more on that and ways (if there is any) to try to lessen that addiction.
Terms: hormones, neurons, hypothalamus, medial forebrain bundle, orbitofrontal cortex, amygdale, septo-hippocampus circuit, anterior cingulate cortex, reticular formation, prefrontal cortex, neurotransmitters, addictions, dopamine
Ch.3 Helps us understand neurological phenomena’s by looking at specific stimulant responses for example the beginning of the chapter is talks about the dieting approach and what it does to the brain the body alike (mind and body). The grehlin which is a hormone produced by the stomach to monitor our intake and communicates with our hypothalamus to tell our body essentially if we are hungry our not. Which explains why dieting by cutting food intake doesn’t work, because your body doesn’t want it to work. We can also understand the brain through the motivations and emotions it projects. For example cravings, needs, desires, etc. the brain is “the star of the show”.
The key motivational and emotional roles in the brain can start with the hypothalamus and extend through the reticular formation. The hypothalamus is less than 1% of the brain but with this matter size does not matter as it is connected to over 20 nuclei that all have their own separate jobs in the brain. It also plays a big role in regulation of both the endocrine system and also the autonomic nervous system. So the hypothalamus is very important. The chapter also focuses on the Orbitofrontal Cortex which is pretty much the part of the brain that gives us the very unique ability of choice. The amygdala regulates emotions in “self-preservation”. The nucleus accumbens plays a large role in experiencing pleasure from naturally occurring reinforces, so this is the gland that contribute to addictions and drug problem. The prefrontal cortex is right behind our forehead, and accumulates our sensory stimulation given it the ability to create a wide variety of emotions. Also it gives us the ability of consciousness which come with goals and dreams, etc. The book tells me as well that the prefrontal cortex has a lot to do with our personalities which depend on how sensitive our cortexes are.
Neurotransmitters are basically the messenger of emotional signals, controlling our hormonal levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin and endorphins. The book mainly focuses on the good feeling hormone known as dopamine. I feel that the dopamine transmitters and the nucleus accumbens may be connected due to their correlation in activity. As they both practically do the same thing but in different parts in the body. Like before with the nucleus accumbens, dopamine plays a large part in addiction as drugs give us the ability to abuse the release of dopamine (or other receptors) giving us tons of pleasure or positive feelings; Dopamine-induced hypersensitivity.
Terms: Grehlin, Hypothalamus, Orbitofrontal Cortex, amygdala, Nucleus Accumbens, pre-frontal cortex, Neurotransmitters, dopamine, Dopamine-induced hypersensitivity
Chapter 3 discussed how specific structures in the brain influence motivation in specific ways. It explained the difference between approach motivation and avoidance motivation. Approach motivation gives us the feeling of wanting to approach a certain situation or take on a task. It is the “I want to” side of motivation. Avoidance motivation is tied to the phrase “No, I do not want to.” This side of motivation inhibits behaviors and moves us to withdraw from tasks and events. The chapter discussed the structures in the brain that are associated with approach motivation and the structures that are associated with avoidance motivation. It also went on to explain the importance of neurotransmitters, chemicals in the brain’s central nervous system, consisting primarily of the brain and spinal cord, that relay messages throughout the brain. One prominent neurotransmitter that the chapter discussed was dopamine. Dopamine is the chemical in our brain that generates good feelings. Terms associated with dopamine are incentives and rewards. Incentives are “stimuli that foreshadow imminent delivery of rewards.” They are what trigger the release of dopamine in the brain leading to reward. Reward is the feeling we receive when dopamine is released, the “feel good” feeling. Dopamine is also closely linked to liking and wanting. Wanting occurs before a reward is received, while liking is what motivates us after we receive the reward. Although motivation is very much biological, it is also greatly influenced by the environment and external context. In other words, motivation, like many things, is a combination of nature and nurture. At the end of the chapter, it pointed out that we are not always aware of what motivates our behavior. Some motivations behind behavior can be explained, while others seem to have no explanation at all.
The information that I found to be most surprising is that specific areas of the brain are either tied to approach motivation or avoidance motivation, which I defined above. I have actually never really thought about there being different kinds of motivations. For the most part, I have always seen motivation as a single thing. I also found it surprising how motivation influenced so much by biology, with the brain structures sending messages and neurotransmitters relaying the messages.
To be honest, I don’t think there was anything in particular from the chapter that I thought was too confusing. It helps that I have taken anatomy and physiology classes prior to this course, so I understood a bit about the brain already. However, those classes did not necessarily emphasize the different brain structures’ roles in motivation specifically. To me, the brain is such an amazing part of the human body, as is basically everything. The complexity of the brain is truly astonishing, but we are constantly discovering new and better understandings of the brain and its countless jobs to make us a living, breathing, functioning, motivated human being.
The information I would like to learn more about is exactly how and why particular neurotransmitters affect our mood and our motivation. It is incredible to me that seeing, hearing, smelling something can trigger a release of a specific chemical in our brain, bringing forth motivation to either approach or avoid. Dopamine, for instance, gives us good feelings often leading to the motivation to approach or continue a particular activity or task. I wonder what comprises that neurotransmitter, and others, that gives us the feelings that is does.
My understanding of motivation has changed a great deal after reading this chapter. It has shifted from thinking that motivation is just a mental thing, like thinking “I can and will do this,” to a complex biological process that includes brain structures and neurotransmitters sending messages. I actually really enjoyed reading this chapter because it showed even more reasons why the brain is such an important fascinating part of the human body.
Terms: Approach motivation, avoidance motivation, neurotransmitters, central nervous system, dopamine, incentive, reward, liking, wanting.
It is amazing how much the brain can do. Chapter 3 discusses how the brain is the controller of motivation and emotion. The brain is what controls our needs, wants, pleasure, and emotions. The chapter starts by explaining the different areas of the brain and what they do. For example the hypothalamus is this little part of the brain and yet it controls our basic needs. It is what determines our thirst, hunger and sex drive. The chapter then went on to say that everyone’s brain is different. Some people are more driven by the right side of the brain and some the left. People who are more on the right side tend to respond more to negative emotions, verses the left side people who respond to positive emotion. The chapter then goes on to explain different chemicals and how they affect our body and behaviors. It focused on dopamine a lot. Dopamine is a chemical that releases ‘good feelings’. The body, brain wants the feeling of pleasure and will find different situations so get that dopamine. The book gave examples of smelling cookies baking, or waiting in line to go on a rollercoaster. It is the not the event it’s self that release the most dopamine it is the longing/anticipation. The Chapter then goes on to explain how the brain and chemicals affect our everyday lives. Liking and wanting are usually link if an action or emotions is pleasurable to you; you will strive to get that feeling. Yet wanting and liking can be separated. An example is that a person may not like the taste of alcohol or a certain drug but they want that feeling later. The problem is when trying to get that good feeling become an addiction. It is all a person wants. An addiction is a person is hypersensitive to something, like smoking. A lot of dopamine is released. The person will want more and more to experience the feeling and they cannot stop.
I learned so much this chapter. I have never really studied the brain or been that interested in it. I had never stopped to think about how much the brain effects motivation and emotion. For me since I am on a diet, and trying to lose weight the part about our bodies’ ghrelin (the chemical that determines our hunger) going up was the most interesting. After a person’s diets their ghrelin actually rises making them more hungry then before they started their diet. I had never stopped to think that even though I am trying so hard, my body is working against me. It is actually very fascinating and I would like to figure out how to beat this chemical or how people who lose lots of weigh can fight this and keep the weight off. Also I was surprised when the book said people were hungrier when they were sleep deprived.
During this chapter a lot of things were a little hard to understand. I see how many different parts of the brain work together to make a decision. I was confused to why may of then see to go against each other and yet people still make decisions. I thought of my struggle to go on a diet. I am hungry a lot and yet I do not let myself eat as much. I am so motivated to lose weight to meet a goal. I am confused to how one part of the brain can out fight another. In a more serious example a person knows they are sick and dying of lung cancer and yet keeps smoking. How can a brain not do what it takes to keep a person alive? I just don’t understand how so many parts of the brain work together and yet still make a bad decision.
After this chapter I really want to learn more about the left and right brain. I knew that the prefrontal lobe was important and controlled many different functions but it did not know that it controlled each person do differently. A person with right side asymmetry will responded to negative emotion like sadness, fear and worry better. A left side asymmetry person will respond and be more motivated to positive feelings like joy, happiness, and praise. I want to know why each person is different is a trait that people are born with or one they learn as they grow up?
I learned that motivation and emotions are greatly tied to the brain. It is what makes us do what we do. We have chemicals in out brain that tell us what we want and what we do not want to do. Sometimes though these chemicals can take over and not let us stop doing a dangerous action. This is an addiction. A person cannot just simply stop their body craves this feeling. When a person has an addiction it is not their fault that they cannot stop. The wanting will always remain. Every action we do is decided by our brain. Sometimes we do things we do not understand.
Terms: hypothalamus, dopamine, liking, wanting, addiction, ghrelin.
This chapter focused on how the brain is involved in motivation. It discussed several parts of the brain and how it impacts what we do. I find it important to understand how motivation works in our brain as well as the two perennial questions in chapter 1. The brain not only involves cognitive and intellectual functioning it also generates cravings, needs, desires, pleasure, and emotions. Our brains are extremely influential when it comes to our decisions and how we react in a situation.
As stated in the book the cerebral cortex is associated with cognitive functions such as thinking, planning or remembering. The cerebral cortex is involved in setting a goal and other types of motivation states. We are motivated to set a goal of some kind, and then we decide how we can reach our goal; our brain helps us keep on task. When the hypothalamus is stimulated it generates the want and the pleasures that are associated with water, food, and sexual partners, it can generate arousal or relaxation. The medial forebrain bundle is known as the pleasure center. During animal studies researchers found that if an animal has an electronic backpack on while they are stimulating areas of the medial forebrain bundle, the animal will continue the behavior so they can have pleasure. Thus researchers can motivate or reinforce and animal to continue a behavior based on pleasure during a specific behavior.
An important aspect of our lives is being able to respond to dangerous situations or emotionally significant events. The amygdala is in charge of this concept, stimulation of one part of the amygdala generates emotional anger, while in another area fear and defensive behavior is stimulated. It is also involved in how we perceive other people’s emotions, facial expressions, and mood. This is very important because we are constantly receiving clues on how someone is doing, and we react based on their expressions. An area of the brain I thought was interesting is the septo-hippocampal circuit. Previously to reading this chapter I had never heard of this area of the brain. This area basically forecasts the emotion associated with upcoming events, in anticipated pleasure as well as anticipated anxiety. I never realized that there is an area that prepares us for an emotional event before it actually happens.
It appears that our brain is constantly looking for ways to prepare itself for what is about to happen, as well as decision making. We all have goals that we want to achieve and the two lobes of the prefrontal cortex appear to immerse these goals in emotions. This occurs because on the right prefrontal cortex negative and avoidance feelings occur. While in the left cortex positive and approach oriented feelings occur. This is where it gets interesting; because everyone is different some of us may have a more sensitive left cortex than the right and vice versa. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that communicate with other neurotransmitters. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is responsible for generating good feelings. When it is release it triggers positive feelings which enhance functioning in activities. An interesting aspect of dopamine is that because it is released in anticipation of a reward, it is in the preparatory phases of a motivated behavior. Thus the brain know a motivated behavior is about to happen. Stimulation of dopamine areas increases the likelihood of a behavior to occur. Thus dopamine release is a neural mechanism where motivation is translated into action.
This chapter was interesting and very informative on how aspects of the brain influence our actions. I learned that the brain helps us prepare for negative or positive situations. Yet it appears that the brain also causes us to question our actions. I thought it was surprising to see how much impact the brain has on motivation; I never thought it was involved in so many of our actions whether they are conscious or unconscious. I find it slightly confusing on how to tie every aspect together because each part of the brain is responsible for different actions. However if our brain did not function in this way we probably would not be as sufficient because we would be constantly trying to figure out what we should do in situations. I would have liked to learn more about dopamine and how it impacts motivation as well as its general functions as stated in the book. Another topic I would like to know more about is the septo-hippocampal area; previously I did not know anything about the functions of this area. Overall I learned that there is biological and physiological reasoning in motivation. It appears that both interact together allowing us to make decisions as well as react to different situations.
Terms: cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, medial forebrain, amygdala, septo-hippocampal circuit, prefrontal cortex, neurotransmitters, and dopamine.
Chapter 3 in our textbook talked about the origins of motivation and emotion in the brain. It discussed three general factors that lead to motivation and emotion in the brain, they are 1) Specific brain structures cause specific emotions, 2) Biochemical agents (neurotransmitters) stimulate specific brain structures, and 3) Every day events in the environment trigger the release of neurotransmitters. These three guidelines give us a very basic idea of how the brain operates.
The most surprising part of this chapter was the section on the medial forebrain bundle, mostly because it is a structure that I have heard little to nothing about. I've taken both biopsychology and neurology, which were both my favorite classes, but I have never learned about this particular bundle of fibers. I thought it was really interesting how because the medial forebrain bundle is one of the pleasure centers in the brain animals will repeat behaviors they were doing when the bundle is stimulated, just as if they had been rewarded.
I didn't find any part of this chapter confusing, it was all extremely interesting.
I want to learn more about the amygdala and its role in depression and anxiety. The amygdala is a structure that is associated with producing negative feelings (such as anger or sadness) in response to emotional cues. Why are some people more prone to these unpleasant feelings and others can just brush them off? Perhaps there is some difference in their amygdalas, maybe the person who struggles with negative feelings has a larger amygdala or something.
Since I learned how influential the brain is on every facet of our lives, I've realized that motivation and emotion are biological processes that are almost completely controlled by our brains. Our brain monitors our body through a complicated network of nerves and chemical messengers, and if the brain senses that we need food, water, companionship, or sleep, it sends messages that our clunky consciousness can detect, such as a painful stomach or feelings of loneliness. In this way our brains are constantly monitoring what we need and what we want so that we can keep chugging along.
Terms: Neurotransmitter, Medial Forebrain bundle, Amygdala
Chapter three: The Motivational and Emotional Brain talks about how the brain is the center of motivation and emotion. There is the motivated brain and the emotional brain. The motivated brain cares about whether or not you want to be exhibiting a certain behavior. The emotional brain is what your mood is while doing the specific behavior.
The most surprising information I read in chapter three was about the left and right side of your brain in the prefrontal cortex. The two sides of the prefrontal cortex create emotion. The right side is negative emotion and the left side is positive emotion. This was surprising to me because I have heard that the left and right side of the brain controls the creative side and the analytical side, but I have never thought about emotion being controlled by the left and right side. It makes sense now that I know, but I have never been very interested in biology and learning about what parts of the brain control different parts of your body.
I honestly found a lot of the information somewhat confusing just because I have never been very biologically oriented. I would much rather observe human behavior even though I know that the brain controls everything, but learning the different parts of the brain and what they control has always been hard for me to keep straight. I enjoy learning about the environmental aspects of what causes behavior.
My understanding has changed now that I have learned more about the biological and physiological bases of motivation and emotion because I never really thought too much about it. There are a lot of different parts of the brain that control many different things. I had never thought too much about the brain controlling motivation and emotion because like I said before I find it confusing trying to keep track of the different parts of the brain. However I now know that the brain controls many different aspects of the motivation and emotion. There are different chemicals such as dopamine and ghrelin that your body produces to help balance your emotions and things like hunger. The brain also controls your decision making skills. I still find it all somewhat confusing, but I understand better the huge span that the brain effects.
Terms: Motivation, emotion, prefrontal cortex, dopamine, ghrelin
Chapter 3 was all about the brain’s involvement in motivation and emotion, which as it turns out, is quite a bit. As a person’s emotion or motivation changes, so does the activity inside the brain. This change in brain activity can be easily seen with an fMRI, which uses magnets (and what seems like magic…kidding) to take an electronic photograph of your brain and track the changes in blood oxygenation. By simply asking people to think about different things while laying in the machine they are able to deduce what brain structures correlate with motivation and emotions (as well as a host of other things). The limbic structures and even the cerebral cortex, which is associated with our higher functions like thinking, are associated with emotions and motivation. Chapter 3 went on to talk about the three basic principles to understanding brain-based processes like motivation: (1) mapping out brain structures associate with which specific motivational states; (2) investigating how those specific brain structures stimulate and become active; (3) understanding how everyday life activates those structures.
The structures, as stated before, are extremely important in many different ways. Such as, the hypothalamus, while small, is in charge of a giant range of different functions: eating, drinking and sex. In college aged people terms, that’s the Big Three. It also controls the autonomic nervous system, which can be best characterized by the way one deals with stressful or emergency situations by increasing sweat production, adrenaline, heart rate and dilation of muscles in the bronchial tubes. The medial forebrain bundle is very closely related to the hypothalamus (the chapter even says that some argue that they are pretty much the same thing). Either way, it is what is in charge of our pleasure center. The orbitofrontal cortex is in charge of processing incentive related information, such as, the decision of what food to eat: pizza or hamburger. The amygdala could be split in to three different parts, each in charge of a different thing; those three things are in charge of emotional anger, perception of other’s emotions, and learning of new emotional associations to environment. This structure is very important in the emotions we feel and the personality we have.
Neurotransmitters are the chemical highway of the brain. They send chemical messages across the brain in four different motivationally related ways: dopamine, serotonin, norepinephine and endorphin. Serotonin influences mood and emotion. Norepinephine regulates arousal and alertness. Enorphin inhibits pain, anxiety and fear. When dopamine is released, it generates good feelings. Because of the generation of good feelings, dopamine is very much involved in addiction. By using a drug (depending, of course, what drug is used) the effect of that drug can be to open up neurotransmitters of dopamine, causing more dopamine to be released and good feelings to follow. However, many times, if the drug is used often enough, the body ‘forgets’ how to release dopamine on its own and can cause depression and other symptoms. Because the body learns that taking the drug means the release of dopamine and with it the generation of good feelings, a person can be conditioned to continue the use, even when the negative effects of the drug are known. This is reminiscent of what we learned from the smoking article at the beginning of the week because it is the same process in adddcition.
Being some of the first researchers involved in mapping and understanding the processes of the brain must have been exhilarating and extremely fascinating. Finally, being able to understand the processes of basic human functioning and being able to show strong evidence to support the importance of the brain and central nervous system in our daily lives would have been an incredible research area. One of the things I found most interesting is that brain processes are split and different areas of the brain help in generating avoidance and different brain structures help in generating readiness to approach a thing. While the amygdale and hippocampus are associated with avoidance, the hypothalamus, medial forebrain bundle and hippocampus are associated with approach; they both share the prefrontal cerebral cortex. This interests me the greatest, I think, and would be where I would spend most of my time if I were to pick something out of this chapter to research more on.
What confused me the most, didn’t exactly confuse me in the sense that I didn’t understand, it confused me in the sense that I had to write it down and keep flipping back and forth thru the pages; that was the different structures of the brain. MY brain, it seems, takes a bit longer to learn and remember the different parts and names and what they do. At times in the chapter, some of the details of the structures and what they did, while very interesting, started to melt together and I had to flip back and forth in order to keep some of the structures apart. In the end, the greatest help was when I left a picture of the human brain, labeled with the different structures, so that I was able to visualize what part the chapter was talking about. Once I did that, it helped me understand the relationships of the different structures better after seeing the locations of them throughout the brain (even though the brain isn’t nearly as organized as I would like it to be and different structures that aren’t particularly near each other seem to work together swimmingly).
I feel like the ‘surprises’ of this chapter were somewhat ruined for me from my Biopsychology class. I was already aware of the importance of brain functioning (ha, who isn’t) and knew stimulation to different brain structures resulted in different outcomes; even chemical changes had effect on how we felt, acted and thought. That isn’t to say that I knew a lot or even some of the information provided in this chapter about motivation and emotion, and I thought this was an extremely interesting subject. However, because of my Biopsych class and work I’ve done on emotion already, other than the information on dieting (which gives me a completely new perspective on weight loss and diet) I don’t think the new information will give me any new point of view on motivation and emotion.
Terms: fMRI, limbic system, cerebral cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, medial forebrain bundle, orbitofrontal cortex, central nervous system, neurotransmitters, dopamine, serotonin, norepinephine, endorphin
Chapter 3 examines the brain, not only focusing on its cognitive and intellectual functions which include thinking, learning, and decision making, but also is the stem of motivation and emotion. The three ways people think of our brain are these 1)The thinking brain in which involves our intellectual & cognitive function 2)motivated brain in whether we want to do things or not and 3)emotional brain in which is our mood when we are doing things. This chapter also summarizes how the brain generates and maintains motivational and emotional states. The two main points of this chapter is that motivation cannot be separated from the social context in which it is embedded and that we are not always consciously aware of the motivational basis of our behavior.
The information that was most surprising to me was that we should do important things when we are in a good mood and it will result in a better outcome most likely than when we are in a bad mood. This is because when we are in a good mood we have dopamine release which triggers emotional positivity and therefore enhances our functioning. Dopamine is stated as a neurotransmitter released & circulated in the brain, and it stimulates the limbic structure. Dopamine is very important because it's release teaches us which events in the environment are most rewarding. This neurotransmitter generates overall good feelings. But dopamine can also be bad determined by stimuli or the environment. Addicted drugs can be potent reinforcers and repeated use of them produces hypersensitive dopamine stimulation which therefore our brain stops producing neurotransmitters for functioning our brain and its actions.
The information most confusing to me was mainly about the neurotransmitters and the pathway they take or in other words the "neurotransmitter pathway" referring to a cluster of neurons and projections of nerve fibers that communicate with other neurons by using one particular neurotransmitter. There are four motivationally relevant neurotransmitters being dopamine, which generates good feelings associated with reward. Seratonin, which influences mood and emotion, norepinephrine, which regulates arousal and alertness, and endorphin, which inhibits pain, anxiety, and fear by generating good feelings to counter these negative feelings. But I'm confused how all of these pathways work exactly and which neurotransmitter communicates with one another.
I'd like to learn more about hypothalamus and everything it controls. It is such a small structure but why does it play such a huge role in the motivational part of the brain? Is it just because of where it's located at? If the hypothalamus were taken out, would we not even have any biological functions such as motivation for hunger, satiety, thirst or sex? I understand that it is an important aspect of the brain and controls the pituitary gland and also the autonomic nervous system which is confusing itself to me. I guess I'm really just wanting to know what would happen if the hypothalamus was damaged or taken out.
After reading this chapter, I have a better understanding of how the brain works when it comes to the biological/physiological aspect of it. I know that there are different structures and areas of the brain that play large part for our motivation and emotions. Every structure plays a different role and they all work together. Most of our emotions come from chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters and these play a huge part. I'll remember to study or get my homework done when I'm in a good mood. I've also learned that the hormone, Oxytocin is a bonding chemical which motivates seeking out others. This can be increased by doing dangerous activities with others anything which gets your adrenaline pumping and bringing you closer to those around you. I'm excited to learn more in depth about the brain and it's functions when it comes to motivation and emotion.
Terms: Dopamine, incentives, neurotransmitter pathway, seratonin, norepinephrine, endorphin, hypothalamus, oxytocin, neurotransmitters
Chapter 3 focused on how the brain functions and how it affects motivation and emotion from a biological standpoint. The chapter talked about how this can be studied through the use of different ways we analyze the brain, like fMRIs (machine that takes electronic photographs of the brain structures). The limbic system is where the brain is affected by biological functions, and is made up of a variety of different parts of the brain, including the hippocampus, hypothalamus, and the ventral tegmental area, and others. The structures are categorized into avoidance and approach categories as a way for us to understand their functions and how they affect what motivates us and how we express our emotions. The brain also has serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins, which are chemicals that are admitted through neurotransmitters (messengers of the brain for these chemicals). Dopamine deals with good feelings, and are produced as a means of a reward, while serotonin influences our mood and emotions. Endorphins help to eliminate pain, anxiety and fear, and can be released when we exercise, and they make us feel good and happy. Hormones in the body help to regulate sexual desire, social relations, and stress, and are oxytocin, coritsol, and testosterone, in no particular order. The ways in which we are motivated and how we express emotions can be linked to how our brain functions at the biological level. Although we are not always aware of the motivational reasons behind the way we behave, motivation can’t be parted from the social ways in which are instilled in us.
The most confusing thing about chapter 3 for me was about the different parts of our brain, and just how much they actually do. It was a really hard chapter for me personally to get excited about, as this is the part of psychology I’m least interested in, and the part that I struggle the most with. I think how the chemicals are released, and what hormones do what is interesting, but I don’t feel like what I want to do with my degree, this information is super prevalent. How much involved the hippocampus is with how we have memories and how we understand something, and how we are introduced to new situations was also fairly surprising. I learned a lot more about the different parts of our limbic system in general, and that was pretty awesome.
I would like to learn more about dopamine, as it deals with addiction as well as what we want. I also would like to know more about how with addiction, when the dopamine starts not to come as readily, and how that affects a person, as well as how they compensate, or if they could compensate an addictive substance with something else, so people who are giving up smoking or cocaine, can still be happy while no longer being on the substance that helps them to experience this. The hypothalamus is also really interesting to me, as it controls things such as hunger and sex. I have read about in previous psychology classes that studies have been done with rats where they have affected the hypothalamus. I’m also interested in knowing more about why the hypothalamus seems to kick hunger into overdrive when someone quits smoking (AKA, why have I gotten so fat? Haha).
I understand a lot more about why some people are more motivated than others in certain areas, and why some people are just generally more happy-go-lucky than others, and how in depth it really is for someone to have that predisposition. I learned that motivation is a lot more than just wanting something and going after it, but is a whole network of different things going on in the brain.
Terms: Cortisol, hypothalamus, hippocampus, ventral tegmental area, limbic system, fMRI, oxytocin, testosterone, dopamine, endorphins, serotonin,
Chapter 3 explores the brain and how it drives our motivation and emotions, as well as cognitive functions. The chapter discusses how the brain uses chemicals to produce a range of emotions, causing an array of motivations. This first major point the chapter introduces is the three principles of study within the motivational and emotional brain: (1) how specific brain structures generate specific motivational states, (2) how biochemical agents stimulate these brain structures and finally (3) how day to day events stir these biochemical agents into action. Then the book identifies several key parts of the brain concerning motivation and emotion, such as the Hypothalamus, Orbitofrontal Cortex, Septal Area, among others. The book discusses each of these brain structures in detail, exploring the functions & purposes of each, including which areas are associated with various positive & negative emotions; which motivates us through avoidance, and those that motivate us through reward. Finally the chapter discusses dopamine and hormones (more specifically Cortisol, Testosterone, and Oxytocin) and how they effect motivation and emotion.
The thing that surprised me the most was simply how completely our brain controls literally everything about our day to day activities. Obviously I had realized that our brain told us that we were hungry, recognized that our stomaches were empty and in return told us that we needed to eat. But I don't know that I had ever so clearly realized the brain also releases the hormone that makes ones stomach feel empty. The brain is LITERALLY responsible for EVERYTHING we are motivated to do. Including eating (weather due to boredom or true hunger.)
I would like to learn more about the Amygdala. The Amygdala is responsible for our emotions and responding to significant events. Stimulation in some parts of the Amygdala result in anger and aggression, while others result in fear and defense. More specifically I would be interested in how different the Amygdala differs between someone who is an 'aggressive person' versus someone who is much more mild.
I learned much more about the specific biological factors determining an individuals behavior and motivation. I haven't studied biopsychology much, so I learned a good amount of detail in this chpater concerning the roles of dopamine and hormones such as Cortisol, Testosterone, and Oxytocin.