Key Terms
Motivation
Wants or needs directing behavior toward a goal Intrinsic motivation: driven by internal satisfaction Extrinsic motivati
Pyramid from bottom to top
1. Physiological (food, water, survival basics) 2.
Metabolic rate
Energy expended over a given time period Set-point theory: body resists weight changes away from a genetically set ideal
Set-point theory
Each person has a genetically predetermined ideal body weight that the body resists changing; compensatory changes in en
BMI limitation
Doesn't distinguish fat from muscle. An athlete can have a high BMI while being healthy.
Health risks of obesity
Cardiovascular disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, liver disease, sleep apnea, colon and breast cancer, infertility, arthr
Contributing factors beyond calories
Genetics, socioeconomic status, physical environment, food access, safety of neighborhood for physical activity.
Bariatric surgery
Modifies the GI system to reduce food intake or absorption. Evidence shows it's more effective than non-surgical treatme
Damage to medial preoptic area in rats
Eliminates sexual behavior but not motivation (the rat still seeks a partner). Damage to amygdala/nucleus accumbens: eli
Testosterone
Associated with sexual motivation across genders, though humans show sexual motivation even without ideal hormone levels
Sexual orientation
Not a choice; relatively stable characteristic. Research shows no evidence that family environment determines orientatio
Refractory period
After orgasm, a period during which another orgasm cannot occur. Duration varies widely; increases with age.
Key finding
Females have multi-orgasmic potential (no refractory period as definitive as males experience).
Conversion therapy
No credible scientific evidence it works. Author of the most cited conversion therapy study (Spitzer) publicly recanted
Gender identity
An individual's internal sense of being male, female, neither, both, or another gender. Distinct from sexual orientation