According to theories of emotion, which motivation best explains why a person might donate money to an organization focused on curing a deadly disease?

• A. They are seeking to fulfill basic physiological needs.
• B. They are responding to a conditioned stimulus associated with money.
• C. They experience empathy and want to alleviate the suffering of others.
• D. They are motivated solely by the desire for material reward.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the different types of motivation in psychological theories, such as physiological needs, conditioned responses, intrinsic motivations like empathy, and extrinsic motivations like material rewards.
2. Step 2: Analyze the scenario where a person donates money to an organization focused on curing a deadly disease, considering what internal drives or emotions might be involved.
3. Step 3: Recognize that fulfilling basic physiological needs (like hunger or thirst) is unlikely the motivation here, as donating money is not directly related to those needs.
4. Step 4: Consider that responding to a conditioned stimulus associated with money involves learned associations, but donating to cure disease is more complex and typically not a conditioned response to money itself.
5. Step 5: Identify that the motivation best explained by theories of emotion is empathy—an emotional response that drives a person to alleviate others' suffering, which aligns with intrinsic motivation rather than material reward.