Motivation energizes behavior by definition. Most theories claim that a particular behavior is the result of a specific motivational state (e.g. you eat when you are hungry). However, besides internal states acting within the organism, the study of motivation also includes forces acting on the organism (the odors coming from the kitchen or the expectation of food around dinnertime). One aspect of the study of human motivation that makes it fascinating and complex at once, is the fact that it appears to be over-determined: there is not one behavior for which we can point to just one single motivating ‘cause’. The different systems contributing to the motivation of a particular behavior not only provide us with our own ‘backup systems’, they also interact in complex ways.

In this course, these different motivational systems and their interactions are looked at. The basic approaches to the study of motivation are surveyed: the physiological, behavioral, and cognitive (or psycho-social) approaches. The topic of motivation is also intertwined with that of emotion. Emotions can have motivational properties, but what is an emotion? And what do we know about the neural systems involved in emotional processing? These questions are covered in the last part of the course.

 

Format
Each student defines his or her own ‘unifying theme’ – a complex human behavior having physiological, learned, as well as cognitive components. This theme is the student’s topic for the term paper, and he/she carries out research and reports about it in writing throughout the semester. Students are allowed to collaborate on these term projects. The philosophy behind having a unique topic assigned to each student is that it (1) allows each student to integrate the various levels of analysis by applying the material to a specific topic of their own choosing, and (2) makes each student a ‘specialist’ with a specific role in class discussions.

The instructor provides a list of topics to select from. Students may also define their own theme, but must receive the instructor’s approval. An example of a suggested topic might be thrill-seeking behavior in humans. It is known that some individuals are genetically predisposed to be thrill seekers, and that social and cognitive factors (e.g. the influence of parents and peers) interact with this predisposition in important ways. For example, in a delinquent peer group, thrill seeking might be expressed in law-breaking behavior, whereas in more conventional peer groups it might be expressed in risky sports like bungee jumping.

Tuesday sessions are devoted to lectures and discussions on the weekly readings. Problems and questions are defined for discussion on Friday. The readings for the Friday sessions consist of journal articles read by all, as well as specific articles pertaining to each student’s own topic. Students prepare brief presentations for the Friday sessions.

For their term paper, students review relevant literature, derive a testable hypothesis from one of the theories studied, and propose research to test this hypothesis. Sections of this term paper are due on dates scheduled throughout the semester, and are presented to the class.