Kobrock Kristina, Solzbacher Johannes, Gotzner Nicole, König Peter
Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany.
Institute of Neurophysiology & Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Front Psychol. 2024 Dec 18;15:1491612. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1491612. eCollection 2024.
Approach and avoidance behaviors have been extensively studied in cognitive science as a fundamental aspect of human motivation and decision-making. The Approach-Avoidance Bias (AAB) refers to the tendency to approach positive stimuli faster than negative stimuli and to avoid negative stimuli faster than positive ones. Affect and arousal in involved individuals are assumed to play a crucial role in the AAB but many questions in that regard remain open. With this in mind, the present study aimed to examine the impact of positive and negative mood on the AAB.
To achieve this goal, we conducted an experiment where participants watched either positive or negative videos prior to performing an approach-avoidance task.
We have not been able to confirm our preregistered hypothesis that mood induction moderates the AAB. Instead, our results suggest that an AAB can be robustly shown after both the positive and the negative intervention. Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) results show that the participants' affective state was influenced by the mood intervention only in the form of increased emotional intensity. Participants did not self-report a change in mood valence that corresponds to the valence of the video primes. However, the behavioral data shows that after watching a positive video, participants are faster in approaching positive stimuli than negative stimuli. At the same time, we do not find a similar effect after the negative intervention.
These findings suggest that positive and negative affect might play an important role in shaping the AAB that is modulated by stimulus valence. This provides new potential insights into the underlying mechanisms of human motivation and decision-making. Specifically, we argue for potential differences between attention and reaction toward a valenced stimulus.
趋近和回避行为作为人类动机与决策的一个基本方面，在认知科学中已得到广泛研究。趋近-回避偏差（AAB）指的是个体趋近积极刺激比趋近消极刺激更快，以及回避消极刺激比回避积极刺激更快的倾向。人们认为，相关个体的情感和唤醒状态在AAB中起着关键作用，但在这方面仍存在许多未解决的问题。考虑到这一点，本研究旨在探讨积极情绪和消极情绪对AAB的影响。
为实现这一目标，我们进行了一项实验，让参与者在执行趋近-回避任务之前观看积极或消极视频。
我们未能证实预先登记的假设，即情绪诱导会调节AAB。相反，我们的结果表明，在积极和消极干预后都能有力地显示出AAB。积极和消极情感量表（PANAS）结果显示，参与者的情感状态仅以情绪强度增加的形式受到情绪干预的影响。参与者并未自我报告情绪效价的变化与视频启动刺激的效价相对应。然而，行为数据表明，观看积极视频后，参与者趋近积极刺激比趋近消极刺激更快。同时，我们在消极干预后未发现类似效果。
这些发现表明，积极和消极情绪可能在由刺激效价调节的AAB形成中发挥重要作用。这为人类动机和决策的潜在机制提供了新的见解。具体而言，我们认为在对有价值刺激的注意力和反应方面可能存在差异。
