A person’s facial expressions can reveal emotions. In fact, members of different cultures understand the emotional expressions of others in similar ways. One explanation for this similarity is that an innate facial-affect program activates a set of muscle movements representing the emotion being experienced. The facial-feedback hypothesis suggests that facial expressions not only reflect, but ...
Emotions are broadly defined as feelings that may affect behavior and generally have both a physiological component and a cognitive component. Debate continues over whether separate system govern cognitive and emotional responses and whether one has primacy over the other. Emotions prepare us for action, shape future behavior through learning, and help us interact more ...
Eating behavior is subject to homeostasis, as most people’s weight stays within a relatively stable range. The hypothalamus in the brain is central to the regulation of food intake. Social factors, such as mealtimes, cultural food preferences, and other learned habits, also play a role in the regulation of eating, determining when, what, and how ...
Motivation relates to the factors that direct and energize behavior. Drive is the motivational tension that energizes behavior to fulfill a need. Homeostasis, the maintenance of a steady internal state, often underlies motivational drive. Arousal approaches suggest that we try to maintain a particular level of stimulation and activity. Incentive approaches focus on the positive ...
Traditional intelligence tests have frequently been criticized for being biased in favor of the white middle-class population. This controversy has led to attempts to devise culture-fair tests, IQ measures that avoid questions that depend on a particular cultural background. Issues of racial differences in intelligence are very controversial, in part because of the difficulty of ...