Conflict defined by approach/active avoidance procedures

Abstract

Conflict produced by the simultaneous arousal of approach and active avoidance tendencies was investigated. The results of two replications indicated that subjects moved progressively closer to the ambivalent goal area as a function of the number of conflict trials administered. These results, when compared with those of previous studies where conflict was produced by passive avoidance training, led to the recognition of two different types of approach-avoidance conflict and to a re-examination of two theories used to account for conflict behavior. © 1976, The Psychonomic Society, Inc.. All rights reserved.