AP Psychology · Unit 7
Motivation, Emotion and Personality: every key term you need (+ practice quiz)
24 flashcard terms for AP Psychology Unit 7, written to match the course framework. Study them here, then drill them as interactive flashcards, or test yourself with the 10-question quiz — free, no account needed.
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Motivation A need or desire that energizes and directs behavior toward a goal.
Instinct Theory Early view that behavior is driven by innate, fixed patterns common to a species.
Drive-Reduction Theory A physiological need creates an aroused drive that motivates behavior to restore homeostasis.
Homeostasis The body's tendency to maintain a balanced, steady internal state.
Arousal Theory People are motivated to seek an optimal level of arousal, not merely reduce it.
Yerkes-Dodson Law Performance peaks at moderate arousal; too little or too much impairs it, especially on hard tasks.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Needs arranged from physiological and safety up to self-actualization; lower needs are met first.
Self-Actualization The need to fulfill one's potential; the top of Maslow's hierarchy.
Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation Intrinsic comes from internal satisfaction; extrinsic comes from external rewards or pressures.
Emotion A response involving physiological arousal, expressive behavior, and conscious experience.
James-Lange Theory Emotion results from awareness of a physiological response (we feel afraid because we tremble).
Cannon-Bard Theory Physiological arousal and the emotional experience occur simultaneously and independently.
Schachter-Singer Two-Factor Emotion requires physiological arousal plus a cognitive label for that arousal.
General Adaptation Syndrome Selye's three-stage stress response: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
Stress & Stressors The process of appraising and responding to threatening events (stressors) that challenge coping.
Sigmund Freud (Psychoanalytic) Held that personality arises from unconscious conflict among the id, ego, and superego.
Id, Ego, Superego Id seeks immediate pleasure, superego enforces morals, and ego balances them with reality.
Defense Mechanisms Unconscious ego strategies (like repression and projection) that reduce anxiety by distorting reality.
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Humanistic Theory Rogers and Maslow stressed free will, growth, and the drive toward self-actualization.
Unconditional Positive Regard Rogers's concept of full acceptance that fosters a healthy self-concept.
Trait Theory Describes personality as a set of stable characteristics that predict behavior.
Big Five (OCEAN) The five-factor model: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.
Social-Cognitive Theory Bandura's view that personality arises from the interaction of traits, thoughts, and environment.
Reciprocal Determinism Bandura's idea that behavior, personal factors, and environment mutually influence each other.
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