UCSSCPSY33,

Spring 2018
The Psychology of Human Motivation

Instructor
Dr. Christel Lutz (c.i.lutz@uu.nl)
Office: Locke, room Hh (directly above the South entrance)
Office hours: Mo. 4-5 pm, no appointment necessary

Time and Place
Locke, classroom D, Monday 13:45-15:30 and Thursday 09:00-10:45.

Content
Motivation energizes behavior, by definition. Most theories claim that a particular behavior is the
result of a specific motivational state (e.g. you eat when you are hungry). But besides internal states
acting within the organism, the study of motivation also includes forces acting on the organism (like
the odors coming from the kitchen or the expectation of food around dinnertime). One aspect of the
study of human motivation that makes it fascinating and complex at once, is the fact that it appears
to be over-determined: there is not one behavior for which we can point to just one single
motivating 'cause'. The different systems contributing to the motivation of a particular behavior not
only provide us with our own 'backup systems', they also interact in complex ways.

In this course we look at these different motivational systems and their interactions. This means that
we survey the basic approaches to the study of motivation: the physiological, behavioral, and
cognitive (or psycho-social) approaches. The physiological approach to the study of motivation
focuses on the neurological and biochemical bases of behavior and motivation. This ranges from the
study of organic drives (such as hunger, thirst, sexual desire, pain avoidance, etc.) to the study of
arousal mechanisms (stress, sleep) and the relationship between psychology and physical health. The
behavioral approach is concerned with motives learned through classical, instrumental, and
observational learning (for example: learned aversions, learned fear responses, learned sexual
values). It also includes the study of incentives: our goals and the value they have to us. These
include hedonistic goals, such as thrill seeking, drug use and drug abuse. The (socio) cognitive
approach to the study of motivation concerns itself with complex human behaviors. Some human
motives (such as the need for success and achievement) are cognitive in nature, but they may
influence behavior in the same ways as physiological needs. Included in this approach are the study
of influence of the social environment, cognitive consistency theories (e.g. cognitive dissonance
theory), attribution models, and self-regulation theories. Lastly: the topic of motivation is
intertwined with that of emotion. Emotions can have motivational properties - in fact: the term
'emotion' derives from the Latin ‘emovere’, which translates as to move, to excite, to stir up or to
agitate. But what is an emotion? And what do we know about the neural systems involved in
emotional processing?

Aim
This course aims to provide students with an overview of theories, findings and major questions
regarding motivation. Students become familiar with the methods and techniques used to study
motivation. They learn how to apply this general knowledge to the study of a specific human
behavior, theorize about the reasons for the behavior, predict future behavior, and design research
to test their own predictions.

Course Proceedings
UNIFYING THEME AND FINAL (TERM) PAPER: In this course each student defines his or her own
‘unifying theme’ - a complex human behavior that should be understood as having physiological,
learned, as well as cognitive components. This theme is the topic of that student's term paper, and

PSY33, Fall 2016, University College Utrecht, Syllabus, Christel Lutz, pg. 1
he or she carries out literature research and reports about the findings in writing throughout the
course of the semester. The philosophy behind having a unique topic assigned to each student is that
it (1) allows each student to integrate the various levels of analysis by applying the material to a
specific topic of their own choosing, and (2) makes each student a 'specialist' with a specific role in
class discussions. Students are allowed to collaborate on these term projects. Once individual
students have defined their own unifying theme, thematic clusters will be used to define student
peer groups.
Students define their own theme and propose it for approval to the instructor. An example of a
suggested topic might be thrill-seeking behavior in humans. A lot is known about the biological
components contributing this drive. We know that some individuals are genetically predisposed to be
thrill-seekers, and that social and cognitive factors (e.g. the influence of parents and peers) interact
with this predisposition in important ways. For example: in a more delinquent peer group, thrill
seeking might be expressed in law-breaking behaviors, whereas in more conventional peer groups it
might be expressed in risky sports like bungee jumping. Thrill seeking can clearly be studied from
within each of the approaches described above: biological, learned, and (socio) cognitive.

MONDAY AND THURSDAY SESSIONS: In general, Monday sessions are devoted to lectures and
discussions on the general reading for that day (usually a book chapter and possibly a journal article).
We define problems and questions for further discussion on Thursday and set a common starting
point for everyone. The readings for the Thursday sessions consist of papers and chapters read by all
(the reader articles), as well as specific articles each student collects towards their unifying theme.
For example: in the first week of the semester we discuss the biological basis to many behaviors,
which means that each student will be discovering articles with respect to the biological basis
concerning their ‘behavior of choice’ or unifying theme. Once we get started properly, the Thursday
sessions will be run like a graduate seminar. One student will be assigned the role of session chair.
This student will introduce the theme and the articles, coordinate the session and lead the
discussion. Two or three (sometimes four) other students will be presenters, responsible for
presenting one of the reader articles for class discussion. This is more than simply summarizing it:
each of the presenters will prepare a handout for everyone (30 hard copies, 1 sheet only, i.e. max
two pages using double sided print). In this, the article is contextualized, for example by describing
some of the other work of the author, the relationship of the work to other material covered in the
book, or by including a presentation of more recent findings or discussions about the work. Everyone
else will be prepared to discuss the assigned reading material, as well as the additional material they
found for their unifying theme. This includes bringing the printed material to class. The full schedule
including the names of chairs and presenters will be available in week 2.

READER ARTICLES: You will note that the articles selected for inclusion in the reader are very
different in length and in type: some are straightforward journal articles in which the result of a set
of experiments is presented (e.g. Cohen). Others are reviews, surveying a certain field of study (e.g.
Wegner). Yet others are historical ‘classics’ in the field (e.g. Maslow and James), or book chapters
presenting more popular writing in the field (e.g. the Haidt chapter, the very first reading this term).
It is important to understand that the selection of articles for each week was not made to present a
full survey of the field and/or get the latest up-to-date cutting edge knowledge on the table. For a full
review of the field we are using the textbook. The reader articles were selected to allow us to ask
ourselves what the field looks like, and what lessons regarding motivation we can take away from it:
how did and do psychologists arrive at answers to age-old questions, do we find these methods
convincing, and what questions do we feel are left open? The preparation for each of these
discussions happens prior to the session and is in the hands of the session’s chair and presenters.
They may propose additional or replacement readings and assign them to the entire class, provided
proposals are approved by the instructor no later than one week prior to the session. For example, in
week 3 and again in week 11 we come across theories of self-regulation arguing for ego-depletion
theory, the idea that self-control is a limited resource that can be depleted. In the context of the

PSY33, Fall 2016, University College Utrecht, Syllabus, Christel Lutz, pg. 2
larger replication debate in psychology, this theory has come under attack (see, for example, Hagger
and Chatzisarantis, 2016). Such debates and findings ought to be part of our discussion of the work.

Evaluation/Assessment
The final grade is based on:
• The midterm exam 15 %
• The final exam 25 %
• The term paper (see course proceedings): 30 %
• Presentations in class (see course proceedings): 20 %
• Attendance in, preparation for, and participation in class,
including the peer reviewing of the final paper (see below): 10 %

Course Material
• J. Reeve (2008). Understanding Motivation and Emotion, 5th Ed. Wiley and Sons. A hard copy
of this book must be acquired.
• Additional readings that are required for all are available in a reader on workspace. You are
required to print the full reader and bring the appropriate articles into class with you.
• Students may propose additional or replacement articles no later than one week prior to
their session, and in collaboration with the other members of their presentation group (see
Course Proceedings)
• Each student will collect a number of articles regarding their own ‘unifying theme' (see
Course Proceedings)

Prerequisites
You need to have followed the following course in order to take this course:
• SSCPSY11 Introduction to Psychology
In addition, you need to have followed one of the following courses in order to take this course:
• SSCPSY21 Social Psychology
• SSSPSY22 Lifespan Development Psychology
• SSSCPSY23 Clinical Psychology
• SCICOG21 Cognitive Neuroscience I
If you do not meet these prerequisites, you must attain permission to attend the course (‘waiver’)
from the instructor.

Honor Code
The honor code on academic integrity applies at all times. It is a violation of the honor code to give or
receive information from another student during an exam, to use unauthorized sources during an
examination, to submit all or part of someone else’s work or ideas as one’s own, and to copy
material from books, articles, internet, or other sources without proper citation. If you have any
questions about this or if you are not sure how to use or cite sources, it is your responsibility to ask
your instructor or refer to the student handbook.

Term paper
At the end of the semester each student will have finished writing a term paper (max. 5000 words).
Students are required to review relevant literature, derive a testable hypothesis from (one of) the
theories studied, and propose research to test this hypothesis. (The paper will finish with this
research proposal, which will not be carried out. For some students, this proposal can form the basis
for their UCSSCRES32 bachelor thesis work, carried out in the next semester.) Throughout the
semester, each student will be working on this paper, build the bibliography for it by finding relevant
articles and books (approx. 15 – 20 references, including at least 10 core references), present ideas
to the rest of class, etc. Students will cooperate on their literature review for this paper, but must

PSY33, Fall 2016, University College Utrecht, Syllabus, Christel Lutz, pg. 3
each hand in their own paper presenting their own hypothesis and proposed research. Parts of this
paper (its topic, core sources, outline, research proposal, drafts) are due throughout the semester:
see schedule. These partial drafts will not be graded, though feedback will be received for drafts that
are handed in on time. The previous-to-final draft will be peer reviewed by at least one classmate
and the peer reviewing will be graded as part of the participation grade.

Library research
Core references for term paper should be linked in PsycINFO or found in the bibliography of the
Reeve text. All other sources are allowed for the supplemental references in the term paper.

Classroom Culture
You are expected to come to every class meeting, prepared to discuss the reading material assigned
for that day. Bring the printed reader into class, so that you can refer to the text and find the
arguments or data that you or others would like to discuss. Arriving late is disruptive, so please try to
avoid that. If you cannot come to class, email your instructor ahead of time. If you have not been
able to do the readings for some reason, inform the instructor and session chair so they will know
not to call on you during the discussion.

Laptop Policy
The use of laptops or other electronic devices such as tablets or smart phones in class is not allowed,
unless otherwise specified for specific activities or tasks. An exception to this rule can be made only
for students with special needs that have been discussed with the Student Life Officer.

Spending Time on this (or any other) Course
This course is for 7,5 ECTS credits, which means you can expect to spend 210 hours on it in order to
do well. The semester (not counting break week) lasts 15 weeks, which amounts to 210/15 = 14
hours per week. Subtracting 4 hours for class attendance, this leaves 10 hours per week for reading
and preparing, outside class hours. You may not need to spend those 10 hours every week – this
depends on your background knowledge and on your interest in the material – but I want you to be
aware of the fact that the course was designed with those hours in mind. The default expectation is
that you set aside 4-5 hours a week for reading and preparing, leaving 5-6 hours a week to work on
your writing assignments, group work, or additional exam prep, whichever applies in that week. So:
whatever you do, give some thought to your scheduling and let me know if you need help with this.

PSY33, Fall 2016, University College Utrecht, Syllabus, Christel Lutz, pg. 4