AA-AC - Approach-Avoidance Motivation Across Contexts - FHSE

We investigate the motivation to approach or avoid mixed-valued stimuli and its relationship to cognitive and psychophysiological measures

The project at a glance

Start date:

01 Jan 2024
Duration in months:

30
Funding:

University of Luxembourg
Principal Investigator(s):

Angelica MENDES

Katarzyna BOBROWICZ

Christine SCHILTZ

About

The project focuses on motivational conflicts, where individuals must decide whether to approach or avoid situations that involve both aversive and rewarding incentives. Individual differences in sensitivity to incentives can predispose people to specific response tendencies. Approach-avoidance motivation is particularly relevant in the clinical domain, where phobias and anxiety disorders often correlate with more avoidant behaviors. However, fear-based stimuli are not the only factors that deter us from approaching in a motivational conflict. This project aims to extend the approach-avoidance motivation paradigm to the educational context, where the cognitive effort required can be seen as an aversive outcome, weighed against the rewards of learning. Additionally, the project seeks to understand the cognitive mechanisms behind these decisions. We are currently recruiting participants to test their approach-avoidance motivation in various lab contexts. Our measurements include behavioral outcomes (e.g., approach-avoidance), cognitive functions (e.g., working memory, inhibition, shifting), psychophysiological data (e.g., pupil dilation, heart rate variability, and EEG frequency bands), and individual traits (e.g., need for cognition, motivational drive). The findings could have significant implications for understanding the mechanisms behind learning motivation and for designing tailored plans to promote more efficient approach-avoidance behaviors