Conflict: Run! Reduced Stroop interference with avoidance responses

Abstract

Conflict has been hypothesized to be aversive, triggering avoidance behaviour (Botvinick, 2007). To test this hypothesis, a standard Stroop task was modified such that avoiding was part of the response set. More precisely, participants were asked to move a manikin towards or away from Stroop stimuli, depending on the colour of the words. Results showed that the type of response (approach versus avoidance) modulated the Stroop congruency effect. Specifically, the reaction time analysis revealed that the stimulus congruency effect disappeared with avoidance responses, contrary to approach responses where a stimulus congruency effect was present. Moreover, the error data showed a reduction of the general congruency effect when avoiding. These results suggest that in the face of conflict, avoidance is the predominant response.

Keywords:

• Approach
• Avoidance
• Conflict
• Stimulus interference
• Response interference
• Stroop task

Acknowledgments

The research reported in this article was supported by Grant 3F011209 of Research Foundation–Flanders. Jan De Houwer is supported by Grants BOF/GOA2006/001 and BOF/01M00209 from Ghent University.

Notes

¹ Note that we did not use the colours green or red. In daily life, these colours are typically associated with go and no-go responses respectively (cf. traffic lights). Recent findings indeed confirm that the colour red induces an avoidance tendency (Elliot, Maier, Moller, Friedman, & Meinhardt, 2007).