Biological Motives

Hunger Motivation
• Experiments….
• Stomach contractions
• Glucose or blood sugar level
• Hypothalamus
• Experiments have shown that the stomach
contains nutrient receptors which provide
satiety ------ stop eating signals.
• Brain and hunger motivation : classic work
of 1940s and 1950s emphasized the
contributions of the hypothalamus.
lateral hypothalamus (LH)----found to elicit
eating.
Ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH)---- found
to stop on going eating behavior.
Any damage to these parts effect eating
behavior.
• Several hypothesis has been proposed for
the effects of LH and VMH lesions.
 Thirst Motivation
• Body water level is maintained by
physiological events in which several
hormones plays a very important role.
• ADH (Antidiuretic hormone)
• Thirst motivation & drinking are mainly
triggered by two conditions of the body:
loss of water from cells & reduction of
blood volume.
• Osmoreceptor -------- celular ---- dehydration
thirst.
• Hypovolemia (a decrease in the volume of the
blood).
• Double depletion hypothesis
• You can see how both mechanisms are at work
after a sweaty tennis game. The body has lost
water, the osmoreceptors have been dehydrated
& blood volume has gone down. Thirst is
triggered & you drink to rehydrate your cells & to
bring your blood volume back to its normal level.
 Reference
• Morgan, C.T., King. R. A., Weisz . J. R.,
& Schopler. J. (2001).Introduction To
Psychology. (7th edition). India : Tata
McGraw-Hill.