Motivation
General Principles of Motivation
What is Homeostasis?
In this short lecture clip, Davaid A. Singer discusses homeostasis in very simple terms. What is homeostasis, and why is it necessary to our survival? How does the body remain balanced despite changes in weather? How does the body adjust when processes are out of balance?
Jack LaLanne Incentive
Jack LaLanne is an American fitness, exercise, and nutritional expert who has been called “the godfather of fitness.” In this clip, he tells the story of an overweight student (George) he went to high school with. What is an incentive? Is his example of an incentive a good one? What are push versus pull theories? What is the difference between internal and external stimuli?
Four Theories of Motivation
The first half of this clip presents the four theories of motivation instinct theory, drive-reduction theory, arousal theory, and incentive theory. It also includes an explanation of Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. The remainder of this clip discusses emotion. Why are motivation and emotion so often taught together? Is it important that you understand motivation in order to understand emotion as well as the other way around?
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs
This is a 3 minute preview of the full length documentary entitled “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” The program profiles Abraham Maslow and shows how his hierarchy of needs theory relates to such disciplines as business and psychology. The program examines needs relating to physiology, security, safety, belonging, love, esteem, and self-actualization. What is actualization? Why is self-confidence important to the realization of other needs?
Frog Catching a Fly
This short clip shows a frog catching a fly that wanders into its pond. Since this behavior satisfies the frogs need for food, we might guess that it is motivated. However, the behavior appears to be as constant as a reflex. How might you determine whether this behavior is motivated?
Search for Ft. Hood Motive
In this report from CBS News, the recent attack at Fort Hood is discussed in an attempt to understand the attackers motives. When we speak about motive in a crime, what are we talking about? How is criminal motivation different or the same from psychological motivation?
Konrad Lorenz Imprint
This video is classic (silent) footage of Konrad Lorenz while conducting his imprinting experiment with geese. What motivated the need for attachment in the geese? According to Lorenz, animals engage in instinctive acts when specific energies reach a critical level. What does that mean in relation to motivation?
EDPS 251 Motivation Presentation
This student project uses clips from movies and television to explain some basic concepts of motivation, including intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation. Do you agree with the conclusions made in this video? Are these good examples of the concepts discussed? Can you think of other examples from popular films or television?
Jackson Pollock & Mark Rothko: Icons of Abstract Expressionism
This clip discusses the art of Jackson Pollock, an important figure in the abstract expressionism movement. What would be an example of extrinsic motivation for an artist? What would be an example of intrinsic motivation? Which do you think would be a more powerful motivational tool?
Hunger and Eating
Carrot Stick Riding
A woman leads a horse using a carrot on a stick for motivation. Both the woman on the horse and the person filming seem to think this is hilarious, even stating that they cant believe it works. What does the carrot on stick expression mean? Why could this strategy work for moving stubborn animals? Could you devise an (ethical) experiment with humans inspired by this video? Can you think of examples from movies or television?
Seeing Hungry
This clip describes an experiment used to better understand the link between hunger and a natural hunger hormone called ghrelin. How did the experimenters test for the link? What were their findings? What use can be made of the information learned from this experiment?
Would You Eat This?
The National Geographic Channel visits a special fundraising event, the 103rd Explorers Club Dinner. Dishes are planned by a biologist, the clubs exotic food chairman. Diners are served foods rarely eaten in the West, including insects and animal organs. Footage of the more memorable dishes is included. Would you attend the Explorers Club Dinner? Why or why not? Why would some attendees have difficulties eating some of the dishes? Might there be a type of motivation besides hunger that would prompt someone to eat these dishes?
Bizarre Foods Squirrel Brains
On his show Bizarre Foods, Andrew Zimmern visits The Snowshoe Mountain Resort in Appalachia, where he dines on traditional mountain comfort food squirrel brains. On his show, Andrew Zimmern travels around the world eating foods that most Americans would consider strange or even inedible. Do you think his meals are motivated by hunger, by something else, or by a combination of factors?
What it Feels Like to Have Low Blood Sugar
A man with diabetes filmed a video in his den to describe the feeling of low glucose blood levels to non-diabetics. He describes the experience as intense hunger coupled with fear. How does the man describe the physiological effects of low glucose blood levels? How is insulin related to our regulation of hunger?
Doctor Kal Loses 130 Pounds
Kalvin Chinyere always wanted to be a doctor, but had extremely unhealthy eating habits. A rotation working with stroke patients inspired him to change his lifestyle in order to take control of his health. How did Kal lose 130 pounds? What motivated him to lose weight?
“When Do We Eat?” Trailer
This is a trailer for the movie When Do We Eat?, about a family coming together to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Passover. Like Passover, many other holidays, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, traditionally involve families and friends coming together to eat. Is hunger the only motivation behind these large family meals?
Sexual Motivation
Do Women REALLY Want Sex As Much As Men?
Sex columnists Dan and Jennifer from www.AskDanAndJennifer.com sit on a rug in front of a fireplace. They respond to the question do women really want sex as much as men? Did Dan and Jennifer adequately support their view that women want sex as much as men do? What evidence would strengthen (or weaken) Dan and Jennifers argument? What are some of the reasons for suppressed female sexuality?
Sex and the Senses
In this ScienCentral news clip, we learn about an experiment to understand the differences in how men and women perceive the world. In order to do that, they studied a gene they discovered that triggers mating behavior in male flies. If this gene is different for men and women, would their sexual motivation differ, or just their perception?
Honest Talk About Casual Sex
Janice Shaw Crouse of Concerned Women for America delivers a speech to a group of college students. She talks of how Alfred Kinsey and Hugh Hefner changed and shaped American ideals. Janice also relates her experiences from the 70s in which sexual freedom, equality, and female empowerment lead to liberal attitudes toward sexuality. This first part of her talk ends with the following argument: casual sex undermines long-term emotional attachment and long term happiness. What do you think about this claim in terms of motivation? What are some of the historical events that shaped societys view of sexuality? What were some of Janice Crouses statements regarding casual sex?
The Kinsey Scale and Alfred Kinsey
This video presents information about Alfred Kinsey and the Kinsey Scale through song, combining together footage of classic television and movies. What does the song explain were some issues with Kinseys interviews? What does the phrase sexual preference on a continuum imply? How did Alfred Kinsey measure sexual orientation in his studies of sexual behavior? What do you think of this clip after watching the previous one (Honest Talk About Casual Sex)?
Double Standard
Diane has an enjoyable sexual encounter with a man, and he asks if it is appropriate to have an after-sex cigarette. She elects not to join him but takes out a container of smokeless tobacco, much to the disgust of the man. The dialogue includes Diane criticizing herself for again falling prey to the sexual double standard. What are the observed gender differences in casual sex? What kinds of theories have sought to explain the phenomenon?
A Drug Called Pornography
A Drug Called Pornography is split into a seven part series on YouTube. Part 2 can function to give a historical background of the adult industry. Both sides of the controversy (potential harm to the community and freedom of speech) are discussed. What were some of the arguments against pornography presented in the video? What were some of the arguments for pornography? Which historical events changed the nature of pornography? How has the adult industry expanded exponentially since the early 1950s? How does the proliferation of pornography affect peoples perception of the normal sex drive?
Sex Education Video
Dr. Lori Buckley interviews Dr. Mark Schoen, Director of Sex Education at Sinclair Institute. Schoen clarifies how the Better Sex video series is different from pornography, and how their films can be used for the general public. Is pornography different from sexual health and education videos? How are they similar? Should sexual health and education videos be available to the general public? Should pornographic videos be available to the general public?
Museum of Sex Customs Commercial
In this commercial from the Museum of Sex in New York, a customs agent finds an interesting artifact in a mans suitcase. He explains that it is 1100 years old, from the Tang Dynasty. What do archaeological finds like this say about sexual motivation across cultures and across generations?
The Need for Achievement
Beverly Hills 90210 Donna Struggles With Her SATs
In the first half of this clip from the original Beverly Hills 90210, Donna gets upset when her friends discuss college, and then has a hard time taking an essay test. Test anxiety is a mixture of heightened physiological arousal (nervousness, sweating, pounding heart) and excessive worry. What are some good strategies to overcome it? How is test anxiety related to the Yerkes-Dodson law?
Everest: Beyond the Limit
In this trailer for the new season of Everest: Beyond the Limit from the Discovery Channel, conditions progress from picturesque to terrifying. Even given the extreme danger, climbing Mt. Everest is seen as a huge accomplishment. If given the resources and know-how, would you be motivated to climb Mount Everest?
Extreme Base Jumping in Wingsuits
This clip features interviews with base jumpers and a great deal of footage of their feats. At the beginning of the clip, one of them states that just staying clear of the mountains and cliffs was getting boring, so now they challenge themselves to get as close as possible without actually crashing. What is the Sensation Seeking Scale? What types of questions does it ask? Are people who do things like base jump more likely to engage in other risky behaviors?
The Most Inspiring Thing Ever Said
In this very brief clip from The Office, Michael asks Dwight what the most inspiring thing hes ever said to him is. The answer may not be something you would think of as motivational. If you were the boss, how would you go about motivating your employees? How does work motivation factor into someones needs?
Thematic Apperception Test
The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is a projective test that requires subjects to respond to vague, ambiguous stimuli in ways that may reveal personal motives and traits. The stimulus materials for the TAT are pictures of people in ambiguous scenes open to interpretation. Participants are asked to write or tell stories about whats happening in the scenes and what the characters are feeling. The themes of these stories are then scored to measure the strength of various needs. Pick one of the scenes from this video. What story would you tell about it? How would your story give insight into your personal need for achievement?
