Development of a psychophysiological method for evaluating approach and avoidance tendencies in two dimensions

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K03480
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 10040:Experimental psychology-related
• Research Institution: Aoyama Gakuin University
• Principal Investigator: Matsuda Izumi 青山学院大学, 教育人間科学部, 准教授 (80356162)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 入戸野 宏 大阪大学, 大学院人間科学研究科, 教授 (20304371)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 接近動機づけ / 回避動機づけ / 葛藤

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We often experience the conflict situation where both approach and avoidance tendencies increase, e.g., “I want to eat it, but I don’t want to be fat”. However, we cannot assess the conflict with existing indices, which assume that the approach and avoidance tendencies are in one dimension. In the present study, we aimed to improve the approach-avoidance indices to assess conflict. First, we proposed the two-dimensional scale to measure approach and avoidance tendencies separately. In addition, by using a manikin task in which participants move the manikin towards or away from a stimulus, we found that it is not reaction times but error response rates that reflect the occurrence of the conflict. We were unable to identify physiological responses that reflected the conflict.

Free Research Field

心理生理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の成果は，これまで評価が困難であった接近動機づけと回避動機づけが同時に生じる状況を評価する際に役立つ。近年，感情の次元として，感情価（快-不快），覚醒度（興奮-沈静）に加えて，動機づけ（接近-回避）についても注目されるようになってきた。しかし，接近-回避動機づけは一次元では表現できないと考えられる。本研究により，動機づけについてより適切に評価する方法が提案されたことで，今後，感情に対する理解がさらに深まることが期待される。たとえば，質的に異なるとされるさまざまなポジティブ感情を分類する際，感情価・覚醒度に加えて動機づけを正しく評価することで，新たな知見が得られる可能性がある。