Describe the ways that hunger, thirst, and temperature regulation are the same and the ways they are different.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Hunger, temperature regulation, and thirst are all motivated behaviors that can be explained by drive and homeostasis. The body has a state of equilibrium for each of these motivated behaviors, and when that equilibrium is not met, behavior is prompted to correct the imbalance. The set point, or point of equilibrium, can also vary for each of these motivated behaviors - for example, body temperature set point fluctuates throughout the day, and the set point for hunger can shift with increased energy demand. While thirst and temperature regulation can be explained fairly well through concepts of homeostasis, however, hunger cannot. Hunger is more complicated than thirst and temperature regulation because eating needs to provide energy for such a wide range of processes, such as exercise, growth, and stress. In addition, the hunger set point fluctuates more dramatically than the other set points, both in the range of fluctuation and in the time during which an altered set point can last. Lastly, hunger does not just involve eating or stopping eating but also eating particular foods at particular times, while thirst just involves consuming water.