情绪的动机维度对趋避行为的影响

The Effect of the Motivational Dimension of Affect on Approach-Avoidance Behaviors

基于Gable和Harmon-Jones提出的情绪的动机维度模型,本研究采用改进的模拟"小人"任务实验范式考察了情绪的动机维度如何影响趋避行为。研究结果表明:(1)改进的模拟"小人"任务范式能较好地考察情绪对趋避行为的影响;(2)对情绪图片的有意识和无意识加工均出现了"趋利避害的相容效应",较好地解决了动机定向理论和事件编码理论的纷争;(3)和低动机强度积极情绪相比,高动机强度积极情绪对趋近行为的易化程度更高;和低动机强度消极情绪相比,高动机强度消极情绪对回避行为的易化程度更高。

Under the circumstance when individuals consciously process the Stimulate emotional valence, the ＂Affective Simon effect＂ appears. （The ＂Affective Simon effect＂ means that positive emotions of individuals facilitate approach behaviors, and negative emotions facilitate avoidance behaviors）. Whereas individuals unconsciously process it, the effect does not appear （Roelofs et al., 2009; Rotteveel ＆ Phaf, 2004;）. Two theories explain the phenomenon above： the Motivational Orientation Theory and the Theory of Event Coding （TEC）. The differences of these two theories are their empirical research paradigm and whether they are processed consciously or not. Also, the empirical research on the Approach-avoidance behaviors is rare. In this study, we designed 2 experiments based on the Gable and Harmon-Jones＇ Motivational Dimension Model. By improving the ＂manikin task＂ paradigm and using it after the improvement, the effect of different emotional valence on the approach-avoidance behaviors could be observed. Experiment 1 is divided into 2 steps. There are 36 college students, including 15 males and 21 females, participating in step 1. These students are treated with the conscious process, which is the approach-avoidance reaction to emotional valence, so that we could observe whether there is the compatibility effect of approach-avoidance （the ＂Affective Simon effect＂）. There are 40 college students, including 19 males and 21 females, participating in step 2. These students are treated with the unconscious process, which is the approach-avoidance reaction to pictures of emotion with or without people in it, so that we could observe whether there is the compatibility effect of approach-avoidance （the ＂Affective Simon effect＂）. In Experiment 2, there are 31 participants, including 13 male and 18 female college students. The purpose of Experiment 2 is to observe the effect of different motivational intensity of emotion on the approach-avoidance behaviors. It demonstrates that, in the ＂manikin task＂ paradigm, under the circumstance when individuals unconsciously process it, by changing the manikin into photos of the participants, they take approach behaviors more rapidly than avoidance behaviors when looking at positive pictures of emotions, whereas they take avoidance behaviors more rapidly than approach behaviors when looking at negative ones. On the other hand, under the circumstance when individuals consciously process it, they take approach behaviors more rapidly than avoidance behaviors when looking at positive pictures of emotions, whereas they take avoidance behaviors more rapidly than approach behaviors when looking at negative ones （the shorter reaction time）. Moreover, they take approach behaviors more rapidly under the condition that the positive pictures of emotions are of higher motivational intensity than under the condition that those are of lower motivational intensity, whereas they take avoidance behaviors more rapidly under the condition that the negative pictures of emotions are of higher motivational intensity than under the condition that those are of lower motivational intensity （the shorter reaction time）. The results of the experiments indicated that： （1） The improved ＂manikin task＂ paradigm observed the effect of emotions on the approach- avoidance behaviors in a better way. （2） In either way, the conscious and unconscious approach to pictures of emotion both resulted in the compatibility effect of approach-avoidance （ the ＂Affective Simon effect＂）, which preferably solved the dispute between the Theory of Motivational Orientation and the Theory of Event Coding. （3） Compared with the positive emotions with lower motivational intensity, the one with higher motivational intensity had higher facilitation for approach behaviors. Compared with the negative emotions with lower motivational intensity, the one with higher motivational intensity had higher facilitation for avoidance behaviors.