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Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans
Published on: March 19, 2014
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Action Interpretation Determines the Effects of Go/No-Go and Approach/Avoidance Actions on Food Choice
Zhang Chen1, Pieter Van Dessel2, Jordi Serverius1
1Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Journal of Cognition
|March 10, 2025
Summary
Action interpretation, not just execution, influences choices. Framing responses as approach/avoidance or go/no-go actions determined food preferences, highlighting the importance of perceived meaning in behavioral interventions.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavioral Science
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Motor responses like go/no-go and approach/avoidance can influence subsequent choices.
- Theoretical explanations differ on whether this influence stems from action execution or action interpretation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the distinct roles of action execution versus action interpretation in go/no-go and approach/avoidance responses.
- To determine how framing motor responses affects food choice.
Main Methods:
- A training paradigm combining go/no-go and approach/avoidance dimensions orthogonally was used.
- Participants controlled a shopping cart to collect or not collect food items.
- Post-training, participants made real food choices (candies) under different instructional frames.
Main Results:
- When framed as approach/avoidance, participants preferred approach over avoidance items, but showed no go/no-go preference.
- When framed as go/no-go, participants preferred go over no-go items, but showed no approach/avoidance preference.
- Actual motor responses were identical across groups, but interpretation dictated choice effects.
Conclusions:
- Action interpretation, rather than mere action execution, significantly influences choice behavior.
- The perceived meaning of motor responses is crucial for their impact on decisions.
- Targeting the interpretation of actions may enhance behavioral interventions.
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