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

Monni, Alessandra

First

;Scalas, L. Francesca

Second

2024-01-01

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Abstract

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.