TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kozlik, Julia
A1  - Neumann, Roland
A1  - Lozo, Ljubica
T1  - Contrasting motivational orientation and evaluative coding accounts: on the need to differentiate the effectors of approach/avoidance responses
JF  - Frontiers in Psychology
N2  - Several emotion theorists suggest that valenced stimuli automatically trigger motivational orientations and thereby facilitate corresponding behavior. Positive stimuli were thought to activate approach motivational circuits which in turn primed approach-related behavioral tendencies whereas negative stimuli were supposed to activate avoidance motivational circuits so that avoidance-related behavioral tendencies were primed (motivational orientation account). However, recent research suggests that typically observed affective stimulus response compatibility phenomena might be entirely explained in terms of theories accounting for mechanisms of general action control instead of assuming motivational orientations to mediate the effects (evaluative coding account). In what follows, we explore to what extent this notion is applicable. We present literature suggesting that evaluative coding mechanisms indeed influence a wide variety of affective stimulus response compatibility phenomena. However, the evaluative coding account does not seem to be sufficient to explain affective S-R compatibility effects. Instead, several studies provide clear evidence in favor of the motivational orientation account that seems to operate independently of evaluative coding mechanisms. Implications for theoretical developments and future research designs are discussed.
KW  - emotional facial expressions
KW  - cerebral asymmetry
KW  - compatibility
KW  - perception
KW  - affective S-R compatibility
KW  - approach-avoidance behavior
KW  - automatic evaluation
KW  - arm flexion
KW  - stimuli
KW  - determinants
KW  - information
KW  - emotional responses
KW  - approach and avoidance
KW  - facial muscle contractions
KW  - theory of event coding
Y1  - 2015
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-143192
VL  - 6
IS  - 563
ER  -