The process of arousing, sustaining, and regulating activity is called:

Concept

Motivation refers to the internal and external forces that activate goal-directed behaviour.

It explains why activity begins, how it is sustained, and how its direction and intensity are regulated.

Application

The stem describes arousing an activity, sustaining it over time, and regulating it. These are the defining functions of motivation, so the process named in the stem is motivation.

Contrast

• Sensation registers stimulation through sensory receptors; it does not initiate or sustain goal-directed activity.

• Learning is a relatively lasting change produced by experience; it is not the activating and regulating process named here.

• Perception organizes and interprets sensory information; it does not describe the persistence of activity.

Cross-check

The verbs arouse, sustain, and regulate correspond to activation, persistence, and direction, which are the core functions of motivation. Therefore, the process is motivation.