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 ...
The levels of mental retardation include mild, moderate, severe, and profound retardation. About one-third of the cases of retardation have a known biological cause; fetal alcohol syndrome is the most common, Most cases, however, are classified as familial retardation, for which there is no known biological cause. The intellectually gifted are people with IQ scores ...