Motivation and Emotion Cheat Sheet
The core ideas of Motivation and Emotion distilled into a single, scannable reference — perfect for review or quick lookup.
Quick Reference
Intrinsic Motivation
Motivation that arises from internal satisfaction and personal interest in an activity, rather than from external rewards or pressures. Intrinsically motivated behavior is performed for its own sake.
Extrinsic Motivation
Motivation driven by external rewards such as money, grades, or praise, or by avoidance of punishment. The behavior is a means to an end rather than an end in itself.
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs
A five-level motivational theory proposed by Abraham Maslow, arranged from basic physiological needs at the base to self-actualization at the top. Lower-level needs must generally be satisfied before higher-level needs become salient.
Self-Determination Theory (SDT)
A theory by Deci and Ryan proposing that three innate psychological needs drive human motivation: autonomy (sense of control), competence (sense of mastery), and relatedness (sense of connection to others).
Overjustification Effect
The phenomenon in which providing external rewards for an already intrinsically motivating activity reduces intrinsic motivation. Once the reward is removed, interest in the activity often drops below the original level.
James-Lange Theory
A theory of emotion proposing that physiological arousal occurs first in response to a stimulus, and the conscious experience of emotion results from the brains interpretation of that arousal. We feel afraid because we tremble, not the other way around.
Cannon-Bard Theory
A theory of emotion proposing that physiological arousal and the subjective experience of emotion occur simultaneously and independently, both triggered by the thalamus in response to an emotion-provoking stimulus.
Schachter-Singer Two-Factor Theory
A theory proposing that emotion results from two components: physiological arousal plus cognitive labeling of that arousal based on situational cues. The same arousal can produce different emotions depending on how it is interpreted.
Yerkes-Dodson Law
The principle that performance increases with physiological or mental arousal up to a point, after which further arousal decreases performance. The optimal level of arousal varies with task complexity: simple tasks benefit from higher arousal, complex tasks from lower arousal.
Emotional Intelligence
The ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions effectively in oneself and others. Identified by Salovey and Mayer and popularized by Goleman, it includes four branches: perceiving, facilitating, understanding, and managing emotions.
Key Terms at a Glance
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