Recognition and approach responses toward threatening objects
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Standard
In: Social Psychology, Vol. 45, No. 2, 2014, p. 86-92.
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Harvard
APA
Vancouver
Bibtex
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
T1 - Recognition and approach responses toward threatening objects
AU - Genschow, Oliver
AU - Florack, Arnd
AU - Wänke, Michaela
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - Previous research suggests that positive stimuli are often approached as well as recognized faster than negative stimuli. We argue that this effect does not hold if negative stimuli are associated with threat. Based on fear module theory (Öhman & Mineka, 2001, 2003), we argue that individuals recognize threatening stimuli faster than positive stimuli because of a constant monitoring of the environment for threatening objects. Moreover, based on the assumption of a motivational account underlying approach-avoidance responses (Krieglmeyer & Deutsch, 2010), we assume the recognition then directly evokes a careful and slow approach of threatening objects. Applying a response time task that measures approach movement and recognition times within the same task, we found that individuals recognize threatening pictures faster than positive pictures, but approach the threatening pictures slower than the positive pictures.
AB - Previous research suggests that positive stimuli are often approached as well as recognized faster than negative stimuli. We argue that this effect does not hold if negative stimuli are associated with threat. Based on fear module theory (Öhman & Mineka, 2001, 2003), we argue that individuals recognize threatening stimuli faster than positive stimuli because of a constant monitoring of the environment for threatening objects. Moreover, based on the assumption of a motivational account underlying approach-avoidance responses (Krieglmeyer & Deutsch, 2010), we assume the recognition then directly evokes a careful and slow approach of threatening objects. Applying a response time task that measures approach movement and recognition times within the same task, we found that individuals recognize threatening pictures faster than positive pictures, but approach the threatening pictures slower than the positive pictures.
KW - Approach
KW - Fear module theory
KW - Recognition
KW - Threat
KW - Business psychology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84899071618&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/cc21d7a0-0da7-39f3-a85b-ad2037570ce2/
U2 - 10.1027/1864-9335/a000163
DO - 10.1027/1864-9335/a000163
M3 - Journal articles
AN - SCOPUS:84899071618
VL - 45
SP - 86
EP - 92
JO - Social Psychology
JF - Social Psychology
SN - 1864-9335
IS - 2
ER -