What Drives You?

Instincts: unlearned, fixed behavior patterns found across a species (a bird building a nest). They explain little complex human behavior.
Drive-reduction theory: a physiological need (food, water) creates an aroused drive that pushes you to reduce it, returning the body to homeostasis , a steady internal balance.
Arousal theory: we seek an optimal level of arousal , so sometimes we increase stimulation (boredom) instead of reducing it. The Yerkes-Dodson law : performance is best at moderate arousal, a bit higher for easy tasks, a bit lower for hard ones.
Incentive theory: external rewards and punishments pull behavior (money, grades, praise).
Self-determination theory: we are motivated to meet needs for competence , autonomy and relatedness . Intrinsic motivation = doing it for its own sake; extrinsic motivation = doing it for an outside reward or to avoid punishment.

Motivation, emotion, stress, well-being and personality, tested on the best subject you have: you. You'll take short surveys, try a few demos, and use your own results to explain AP terms.

Day 1 (Monday): Stations 1–4. Day 2 (Tuesday): Stations 5–6 and the Final Check. Then download your PDF and upload it to Canvas. 100 points.

First and last name Period

How this is graded. Check-ins and the Final Check count your first answer only, so read before you click (42 pts). Finishing each survey and demo earns 8 pts. Ten written responses are graded by Mr. Cummings (50 pts): each needs your own survey numbers and a specific example from your life. Pasting is turned off in the written responses, and the PDF reports typing time and word counts. A generic answer scores 1–3 of 5.

Your work saves in this browser on this device, so use the same Chromebook both days. The surveys here are short classroom demos, not real psychological tests. You never have to share anything private: where a prompt asks about your life, you may pick a smaller or older example.

Taylored Works · AP Psychology · Content follows the 2024 AP Psychology Course and Exam Description (topics 4.4–4.7, 5.1–5.2).