Measuring Implicit Approach-Avoidance Tendencies towards Food Using a Mobile Phone outside the Lab

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Implicit (unconscious) approach-avoidance tendencies are measurable via the Approach Avoidance Task (AAT).
• A novel mobile version (mAAT) was developed, analyzing raw data from participants moving their phone towards or away from images.
• This study validates the mAAT for assessing implicit food preferences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the mAAT's ability to measure implicit approach-avoidance motivation for food images.
• To investigate whether mAAT reaction time and distance reflect preferences for palatable vs. unpalatable and Dutch vs. Asian foods.
• To explore the mAAT distance as a potential implicit measure of arousal.

Main Methods:

• 71 Dutch participants completed an online study using the mAAT and explicit rating scales for food images.
• Participants moved their phone towards (pull) or away (push) from images presented on the phone.
• Data analyzed included mAAT reaction time, mAAT distance, and explicit ratings of wanting, valence, and arousal.

Main Results:

• mAAT reaction time and ratings confirmed preferences for palatable and Dutch foods over unpalatable and Asian foods.
• Higher arousal ratings were observed for unpalatable and Dutch foods.
• mAAT distance was larger for unpalatable and Dutch foods, suggesting it may indicate arousal.

Conclusions:

• The mAAT is a valid tool for implicitly assessing approach-avoidance motivation towards complex food images.
• mAAT distance shows potential as an implicit measure of arousal.
• mAAT variables and explicit ratings provide complementary, not identical, information, valuable for mitigating response biases.