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Updated: Jul 29, 2026
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Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans
Published on: March 19, 2014
Recent experiments testing an opponent-process theory of acquired motivation
Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis
|January 1, 1980
Summary
Acquired motives, like addiction, involve affective phenomena such as contrast, habituation, and withdrawal. These create addictive cycles explained by opponent-process theory, supported by studies on imprinting and adjunctive behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Acquired motives, particularly addiction, appear to be non-associative.
- These motives involve affective phenomena triggered by reinforcers, unconditioned stimuli, or innate releasers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explain the development of addictive cycles through affective phenomena.
- To test the opponent-process theory of motivation using empirical observations.
Main Methods:
- Observing affective contrast effects, habituation (tolerance), and withdrawal syndromes.
- Examining the growth of social attachment (imprinting) in ducklings.
- Investigating the development of adjunctive behaviors.
Main Results:
- Repeated stimulus presentation leads to affective contrast, habituation, and withdrawal.
- These affective phenomena are linked to the development of addictive cycles.
- Experimental findings on imprinting and adjunctive behaviors support the opponent-process theory.
Conclusions:
- The opponent-process theory provides a framework for understanding addiction-like motivational systems.
- Affect control systems, strengthened by use, oppose deviations from affective equilibrium.
- The theory is supported by evidence from social attachment and adjunctive behaviors.
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