Opponent-process Theory Of Motivation

[corvus]

I will come clean and admit that I struggle with psychology, but this reference came up in a fascinating paper about separation anxiety and once I figured out what the heck it was all about I had a bit of a lightbulb moment.

A new theory of motivation is described along with its applications to addiction and aversion. The theory assumes that many hedonic, affective, or emotional states are automatically opposed by central nervous system mechanisms which reduce the intensity of hedonic feelings, both pleasant and aversive. The opponent processes for most hedonic states are strengthened by use and are weakened by disuse. These simple assumptions lead to deductions of many known facts about acquired motivation. In addition, the theory suggests several new lines of research on motivation. It argues that the establishment of some types of acquired motivation does not depend on conditioning and is nonassociative in nature. The relationships between conditioning processes and postulated opponent processes are discussed. Finally, it is argued that the data on several types of acquired motivation, arising from either pleasurable or aversive stimulation, can be fruitfully reorganized and understood within the framework provided by the opponent-process model.

I do believe that Steven Lindsay spoke briefly about this study at the NDTF conference. It looks at skydivers and how at first they have more fear before jumping, but as they get more experienced they have less fear at jumping, but more pleasure upon landing safely. It's like a see-saw. When one is up, the other is down. It's been used to explain drug addiction, with pleasure being the opponent-process to withdrawal. The less pleasure you get from a drug (more habituated/desensitised) the stronger the withdrawal when you don't have it.

In the paper about SA, this was used as a possible aid in understanding it. The feelings of comfort and well-being that accompany the dog's proximity to that someone special are followed by feeling the need for social contact, or perhaps the aversiveness of missing it. The more they switch between those extremes the more they depend on the social contact to make them feel secure. At least, that's how I understood it, although obviously this doesn't happen to every dog. One could maybe consider the same process at work between play and inhibition?

[Jigsaw]

Have you got a link to the study??

[corvus]

Hey Jigsaw,

I do, but it's on my other computer, which is currently refusing to speak to my bluetooth mouse. I'll send it tomorrow morning. Hey, I've got another one about pathological anxiety in dogs that is pretty heavy going but fascinating stuff. Interested?

[Jigsaw]

I'll read it! I may need the dictionary, wikipedia and google to get me through it!!!

[corvus]

The Opponent-process Theory of Motivation paper is available in full for free here: http://dionysus.psych.wisc.edu/lit/Article...lomonR1974a.pdf

As it turns out, the separation anxiety paper is available in full for free as well. It's long and a bit hard, but I found the maintenance stimuli section to be really interesting. http://www.behav.org/00library/articles/do...aration_anx.pdf

[Prydenjoy]

Thanks Corvus, I'll read them too