Approach Avoidance Task (AAT)

Background

The Approach Avoidance Task (AAT) is a computerized behavioral test of implicit biases. Specifically, the AAT leverages people's tendencies to physically move closer towards positive stimuli ('approach') but move away from negative ones ('avoid').

The modern AAT procedure was published by Mike Rinck and Eni S. Becker in 2007 who used a joystick and image zooming to study people with arachnophobia ('fear of spiders'). When people pulled a joystick towards themselves, the images of spiders got larger, simulating bringing the spider closer (='approaching'); when people pushed the joystick away, the spider images shrank, simulating pushing the spider away (='avoiding'). Thus, the AAT paradigm connects physical movement with visual changes to simulate a sensation of distance change between the participant and the target object. Response times differences in approach/avoidance conditions are then interpreted as an indication of (implicit) biases. For example, people suffering from arachnophobia are typically faster to push away spider images than pulling them towards themselves.

The AAT procedure has been particularly successful in clinical settings assessing automatic approach and avoidance biases in phobias, addictions and eating disorders.

The Millisecond AAT procedure is based on the 'Alcohol AAT' developed by Reinout Wiers and colleagues in 2009 who used the AAT to assess and retrain automatic approach biases in heavy drinkers. The Millisecond AAT procedure can easily be edited to run different images and can thus be used in a variety of contexts. Millisecond further offers AAT procedures using different response input modalities: joystick, gamepad, mouse or keyboard.

Joystick/Gamepad AAT:

Participants are asked to push or pull the joystick/gamepad knob towards or away from themselves to simulate approach/avoidance behavior. This procedure usually requires the use of PC computers and the necessary joystick/gamepad equipment.

Mouse/Touch AAT:

Participants are asked to push the computer mouse towards or away from themselves to simulate approach/avoidance behavior. On touchscreens, people can move the objects on the screen to the top ('away') or the bottom ('towards') of the screen. This procedure has the advantage that it does not require any specialized equipment but still retains a physical movement component that simulates pulling objects closer or pushing them away.

Keyboard AAT:

Participants are asked to use keys 'T' (top key on QWERTY keyboard, slightly further away from participant) to 'push' images away and use key 'B' (bottom key on QWERTY keyboard, slightly closer to participant) to 'pull' images closer. This procedure has the advantage that it does not require any specialized equipment but may not make sense being run on touchscreens that do not have external keyboards connected (in this case, the response keys would be presented next to each other and thus have the same physical distance from the participant).

Task Procedure

All Millisecond AAT procedures start participants with a practice session in which participants learn to associate a specific image format (landscape vs. portrait) with the respective pull towards/push away behaviors. For example, participants learn to pull portrait pictures towards themselves but push landscape pictures away. The practice objects are simple gray rectangles presented in landscape or portrait format. After 10 trials (five of each image format) that provide error feedback, if necessary, participants start with the test block. The test block runs 80 trials and uses images of four different categories: alcohol images (e.g. a beer bottle), non-alcohol images (e.g. a soda bottle), positive (e.g. a seal pup) and negative images (e.g. a growling dog). Each image is presented once in landscape and once in portrait format and thus requires once a push and once a pull action.

What it Measures

The AAT is a behavioral test of implicit biases

Psychological domains

• Implicit Cognition: Cognitive Processes not under conscious control

Main Performance Metrics

• Category Difference Scores: the difference in median latency of correct Push trials and correct Pull trials for each category separately

Psychiatric Conditions

AAT measures are used, amongst others, for study with the following patient groups

• Phobias
• Eating Disorders
• Depression
• Social Anxiety
• Alcoholism
• Drug Abuse

Test Variations

References

Search Google Scholar for peer-reviewed, published research using the Inquisit Approach Avoidance Task (AAT).

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Chen, M., & Bargh, J. A. (1999). Consequences of automatic evaluation: Immediate behavioral predispositions to approach or avoid the stimulus. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, 215-224.

Marsh, A. A., Kleck, R., E., & Ambady, N. (2005. The effects of fear and anger facial expressions on approach- and avoidance-related behaviors. Emotion, 5, 119-124.

Wiers R. W., Rinck M., Dictus M., & van den Wildenberg E.(2009) Relatively strong automatic appetitive action-tendencies in male carriers of the OPRM1 G-allele. Genes, Brain and Behavior, 8, 101-106.

Wiers, R. W., Rinck, M., Kordts, R., Houben, K., & Strack, F. (2010). Re-training automatic action-tendencies to approach alcohol in hazardous drinkers. Addiction, 105, 279–287.