Final answer:
The fundamental motives discussed include physiological needs and social influences, alongside high-level cognitive processes like perception, thinking, and problem solving.
Step-by-step explanation:
The book and class discussions cover a range of fundamental motives such as physiological needs (e.g., hunger and sex) and social experiences influencing actions, as well as high-level cognitive processes like perception, learning, memory, problem solving, and creativity. For instance, eating and sexual behaviors are motivated behaviors that are driven by physiological mechanisms of hunger and satiety, and sexual orientation and gender identity research. These motivations are influenced by both biological and cultural factors, explaining why behaviors like eating can lead to states such as obesity and how biological processes can be affected by culture.
In relation to cognitive processes, high-level functions like thinking, language development and use, problem solving, and creativity are discussed. Cognitive psychology focuses on thought organization and meaningful categorization, crucial for understanding how we think and the uniqueness of our species. Concepts like cognitive dissonance and persuasion techniques further illustrate how internal and external influences modify people's attitudes.
Historical perspectives such as behaviorism, humanism, and the cognitive revolution demonstrate the evolution of psychology's focus, providing context for the significant role of cognition in understanding motivation and behavior.