Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Frustration and Conflict: Avoidance-Avoidance, Double-Approach Avoidance

Frustration and Conflict: Avoidance-Avoidance, Double-Approach Avoidance

Avoidance-avoidance conflict refers to a psychological situation where a person must choose between two or more unpleasant alternatives. These conflicts are particularly stressful because neither option is desirable. This dilemma is often expressed in sayings like "caught between a rock and a hard place" or "between the devil and the deep blue sea." For instance, individuals who fear dental procedures may find themselves torn between enduring a painful toothache or facing the...

Frustration and Conflict: Approach-Approach, Approach-Avoidance

Frustration and Conflict: Approach-Approach, Approach-Avoidance

Frustration occurs when people are obstructed or prevented from achieving a desired goal or fulfilling a perceived need. For example, when someone's input is ignored in a discussion, it can lead to feelings of frustration. Conflict, however, arises from opposing interests, goals, or actions. Conflicts can take various forms based on the nature of these opposing desires or goals.
One common type of conflict is the Approach–Approach Conflict. In this case, a person faces two desirable...

Decision Making

Decision Making

Decision-making is a fundamental cognitive process that involves evaluating alternatives and selecting among them. This process can range from simple choices, such as deciding what to wear, to complex decisions, like choosing a major in college or a career path. The complexity of the decision often dictates the approach we use, which can be broadly categorized into two types: automatic and controlled decision-making.
Automatic decision-making is fast, intuitive, and relies on gut feelings...

Self-Discrepancy Theory

Self-Discrepancy Theory

One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.

Decision Making: Traditional Method

Decision Making: Traditional Method

The process of hypothesis testing based on the traditional method includes calculating the critical value, testing the value of the test statistic using the sample data, and interpreting these values.
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is decided based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to this claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses, out of which a null hypothesis would be a...

Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness

Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness

Avoidance learning and learned helplessness are critical concepts in understanding behavioral responses to negative stimuli.
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Acute placebo responsiveness predicts longitudinal expectation effects in antidepressant treatment.

Translational psychiatry·2026

Same author

Thalamic nuclei volumes across psychiatric and neurological disorders: a multi-site magnetic resonance imaging study.

Translational psychiatry·2026

Same author

Utilization of different types of safety behavior during exposure-based CBT for anxiety disorders and its correlates.

Cognitive behaviour therapy·2026

Same author

Quantifying age-related disparities in outpatient psychotherapy utilization: a representation quotient analysis of routine data from 29 university clinics in Germany.

BMC health services research·2025

Same author

Neural correlates of human fear conditioning and sources of variability in 2199 individuals.

Nature communications·2025

Same author

Facial features associated with fear and happiness attract gaze during brief exposure without enhancing emotion recognition.

Scientific reports·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 17, 2025

Investigating Pain-Related Avoidance Behavior using a Robotic Arm-Reaching Paradigm

Investigating Pain-Related Avoidance Behavior using a Robotic Arm-Reaching Paradigm

Published on: October 3, 2020

Overcoming Automatic Behavioral Tendencies in Approach-Avoidance Conflict Decisions.

Menghuan Chen¹, Mario Reutter¹, Paul Pauli¹

¹Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.

Psychophysiology

|July 4, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Individuals can overcome automatic approach-avoidance tendencies by making deliberate choices. Conflicting stimuli amplify individual differences, potentially informing clinical interventions for behavioral control.

Keywords:

approach‐avoidance conflict gaze dispersion inhibitory control motivated behavior response time

More Related Videos

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats

Published on: February 20, 2019

Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice

Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice

Published on: June 5, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 17, 2025

Investigating Pain-Related Avoidance Behavior using a Robotic Arm-Reaching Paradigm

Investigating Pain-Related Avoidance Behavior using a Robotic Arm-Reaching Paradigm

Published on: October 3, 2020

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats

Published on: February 20, 2019

Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice

Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice

Published on: June 5, 2016

Area of Science:

Psychology
Neuroscience
Behavioral Science

Background:

Adaptive goal-oriented behavior requires control over automatic responses to stimuli.
Understanding how individuals override automatic approach-avoidance tendencies to appetitive and aversive stimuli is crucial but not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate free versus forced approach-avoidance decisions to conditioned stimuli (CSs) with varying associated outcomes.
To examine behavioral and physiological responses during anticipation and decision-making phases.

Main Methods:

Participants (N=75) made approach-avoidance decisions using a joystick towards CSs.
Data collected included response times, subjective ratings, heart rate, and eye-tracking.
CSs were previously paired with single aversive, single appetitive, conflicting, or no outcomes.

Main Results:

Concordant responses to single-outcome stimuli were faster than forced discordant responses.
Gaze fixations shifted towards the spatial location of the concordant response for single-outcome stimuli.
Conflicting stimuli showed intermediate group patterns, but amplified individual differences in avoidance behavior and threat-related visual attention.

Conclusions:

Competing outcomes can heighten individual differences in motivational salience.
Findings may guide clinical interventions targeting disorder-specific behavioral tendencies by modulating motivational salience.