List three things you remember doing in the past day or two. Explain why you performed each behavior using one or more of the approaches to understanding motivation.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A wide range of behaviors may be listed. Sample behaviors and explanations might include:
Eating and sleeping: These behaviors may be explained using the drive-reduction approach. The body attempts to maintain a steady internal state, or homeostasis. If one is hungry or tired, an unpleasant or aversive state is experienced, and the individual is motivated to perform those behaviors that will reestablish homeostasis.
Visiting, socializing: These behaviors reflect the need for affiliation and may be explained through arousal theory, in that one seeks a certain level of variety and stimulation, or through the incentive theory-one's friends provide reinforcement, such as approval, sympathy, and so on.
Window shopping, people watching, "hanging out": These sorts of activities might reflect a need for novelty or stimulation and may therefore be explained through arousal theory.
Studying: The incentive theory suggests that people are motivated to study because they expect that effort expended studying will pay off in a good grade, an incentive.