Alabama Social Studies SS24.P.15a
The Standard
- SS24.P.15
- Explain the role of motivation and emotion in human behavior.*
Describe theories that explain how biological, cognitive, and social factors influence motivation, including Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, arousal theory, and the theory drive for hunger (homeostasis).
2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies · Clinical Psychology
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain choices using body signals, thoughts, and social cues. They use Maslow’s needs, arousal theory, and the body’s drive to restore balance after hunger to explain behavior.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain eating after practice as a response to hunger signals, while noting that friends might affect the choice. They can also explain why a bored person seeks a challenge or why feeling unsafe makes schoolwork harder.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think Maslow’s needs must be met in a strict order. They may think hunger comes only from the body and overlook food ads or friends. They may confuse arousal with fear rather than a level of alertness.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: A hungry student eats after practice, a bored student starts a hard puzzle, and a student worried about safety cannot focus. Name the theory that best fits each case, then explain how a thought or friend could affect one choice.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs six behavior cards and three paper mats labeled Maslow, arousal, and homeostasis; have them sort the cards and explain one overlap.
Ask students to write why someone might eat lunch after a big snack when friends are eating, using both body signals and social cues.
Play theory match: read three short cases and have pairs hold up a theory card, then give one reason for each match.
Show the school lunch menu and have students mark where hunger signals, food expectations, and friends’ choices might affect what someone buys.
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