EASP 2023

Abstract

Approach-avoidance is a central behavior for the survival of organisms, including human beings. A better understanding of the psychological processes underlying these behaviors would help both on theoretical and applied grounds. In this work, we aimed at testing one of the processes at work according to a grounded cognition account (Barsalou, 1999) when approach-avoidance tendencies are triggered. According to this account, perceiving a stimulus linked to previous approach (or avoidance) behaviors should reactivate the sensorimotor stimulations associated with these behaviors. In particular, we tested whether specific hypothesized visual stimulations are reactivated, namely approach-avoidance visual flows (Rougier et al., 2018).

To test this, we developed an approach-avoidance visual flows perception task in which participants have to indicate if they perceive more approach or avoidance in a stimulus composed of two opposite visual flows. According to our rationale the perception of approach-avoidance visual flows should be influenced by a prime associated with past approach (or avoidance) behaviors. Precisely, after a positive prime (presumably linked to approach behaviors) participants should be more likely to perceive approach in a stimulus containing opposite visual flows, and conversely with a negative prime. We conducted two preregistered studies (N = 56 and N = 139) testing this idea. An integrative data analysis revealed the hypothesized effect, z = 3.41, p < .001.