Approach-Avoidance Assessment: Comparison and Validity of the Measures Related to Three Theories

• Published in: Psychological studies 2024-06, Vol.69 (2), p.145-157
• Main Authors: Monni, Alessandra, Scalas, L. Francesca
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Behavior; Behavioral Science and Psychology; General Psychology; Impulsivity; Likert scale; Measurement techniques; Mental disorders; Personality and Social Psychology; Physiology; Prevention; Psychology; Quantitative psychology; Questionnaires; Review Article
• ISSN: 0033-2968; 0974-9861
• DOI: 10.1007/s12646-024-00786-2

We provide an overview of instruments related to the three most representative theories of approach-avoidance (Monni et al., in Personality and Individual Differences 166:110163, 2020): The Regulatory focus theory (Higgins, in American Psychologist 52:1280–1300, 1997; Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 30:1–46, 1998), the Reinforcement sensitivity theory (Gray, in Behaviour Research and Therapy 8:249–266, 1970; The psychology of fear and stress, CUP Archive, 1987; as reported by Gray & McNaughton (The neuropsychology of anxiety: An enquiry into the functions of Septo-hippocampal system, Oxford University Press, 2000), and the Approach-Avoidance temperament theory (Elliot & Thrash, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 82:804–812, 2002; Journal of Personality 78:865–906, 2010). We examined published peer-reviewed empirical studies guided by three aims: (1) providing a brief description and comparison of the basic constructs of the three theories; (2) offering an overview of the approach-avoidance assessments that have been used in the literature; (3) discussing the strengths and weaknesses of these methodologies and suggesting which might be the most effective technique according to the constructs’ operationalization and the psychometric-procedural quality to help researchers choose the reference theory and method best suited to their research focus.