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9.1.1: Learning Objectives and Introduction

  • Page ID
    226886
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    Learning Objectives
    • Identify the key properties of drive states
    • Describe biological goals accomplished by drive states
    • Give examples of drive states
    • Outline the neurobiological basis of drive states such as hunger and arousal
    • Discuss the main moderators and determinants of drive states such as hunger and arousal

    Introduction

    What is the longest you’ve ever gone without eating? A couple of hours? An entire day? How did it feel? Humans rely critically on food for nutrition and energy, and the absence of food can create drastic changes, not only in physical appearance, but in thoughts and behaviors. If you’ve ever fasted for a day, you probably noticed how hunger can take over your mind, directing your attention to foods you could be eating (a cheesy slice of pizza, or perhaps some sweet, cold ice cream), and motivating you to obtain and consume these foods. And once you have eaten and your hunger has been satisfied, your thoughts and behaviors return to normal.

    LED sign for Buffet .png

    Hunger is among our most basic motivators. [Image: Jeremy Brooks, https://goo.gl/XrFG2W, CC BY-NC 2.0, https://goo.gl/VnKlK8]

    Hunger is a drive state, an affective experience (something you feel, like the sensation of being tired or hungry) that motivates organisms to fulfill goals that are generally beneficial to their survival and reproduction. Like other drive states, such as thirst or sexual arousal, hunger has a profound impact on the functioning of the mind. It affects psychological processes, such as perception, attention, emotion, and motivation, and influences the behaviors that these processes generate.


    Drive States by Sudeep Bhatia and George Loewenstein is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available in our Licensing Agreement.


    This page titled 9.1.1: Learning Objectives and Introduction is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Michael Miguel.