Modifying automatic approach action tendencies in individuals with elevated social anxiety symptoms
Open accessAbstract
Research suggests that social anxiety is associated with a reduced approach orientation for positive social cues. In the current study we examined the effect of experimentally manipulating automatic approach action tendencies on the social behavior of individuals with elevated social anxiety symptoms. The experimental paradigm comprised a computerized Approach Avoidance Task (AAT) in which participants responded to pictures of faces conveying positive or neutral emotional expressions by pulling a joystick toward themselves (approach) or by moving it to the right (sideways control). Participants were randomly assigned to complete an AAT designed to increase approach tendencies for positive social cues by pulling these cues toward themselves on the majority of trials, or to a control condition in which there was no contingency between the arm movement direction and picture type. Following the manipulation, participants took part in a relationship-building task with a trained confederate. Results revealed that participants trained to approach positive stimuli displayed greater social approach behaviors during the social interaction and elicited more positive reactions from their partner compared to participants in the control group. These findings suggest that modifying automatic approach tendencies may facilitate engagement in the types of social approach behaviors that are important for relationship development.
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The deficient approach motivation or promotion system in SAD is changeable.
“prior research suggests that the deficient approach motivation or promotion system of people with SAD is malleable.”
From Commitment to a purpose in life: An antidote to the suffering by individuals with social anxiety disorder. (2013) · cites this paper as Taylor & Amir, 2012
The Discussion (page not provided) says the study modified automatic approach tendencies and that this influenced others’ evaluations, supporting the claim that an approach-related tendency is malleable. But it also says the participants were undergraduates with moderate social anxiety and that generalizability to people diagnosed with SAD remains to be established. The study does not establish that the broader promotion system is changeable in people with SAD. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredPeople with SAD can be trained to attend more to rewards and thereby navigate their social world in a more approach-oriented way.
“people with SAD can be trained to be more attentive to rewards and in turn, approach-oriented in how they navigate their social world”
From Commitment to a purpose in life: An antidote to the suffering by individuals with social anxiety disorder. (2013) · cites this paper as Taylor & Amir, 2012
The Abstract reports that training participants to approach positive social cues increased their approach behavior during a laboratory interaction. It does not report training attention to rewards. The Discussion says the sample consisted of undergraduates with moderate social anxiety, not people diagnosed with SAD, and that generalizability to natural social settings remains to be established (page numbers unavailable). (LLM, conf=0.90)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredRecent interventions have shown that people with SAD can be trained to shift attention away from threats and become more approach-oriented, with short-term effects on social interactions.
“Recent interventions have shown that people with SAD can be trained to direct their attention away from threats and become more approach oriented in their attention and social behavior, with evidence that these changes extend at least in the short-term to subsequent social interactions (Alden & Taylor, 2011; Schmidt et al., 2009; Taylor & Amir, 2012).”
From Commitment to a purpose in life: An antidote to the suffering by individuals with social anxiety disorder. (2013) · cites this paper as Taylor & Amir, 2012
The Abstract and Discussion report that training increased approach behavior toward positive social cues and that participants showed more approach behavior in a subsequent laboratory social interaction. They do not report training attention away from threats. The Discussion also cautions that the undergraduate sample had elevated social anxiety symptoms, not diagnosed SAD, and that generalizability to clinical samples remains untested (page numbers unavailable). (LLM, conf=0.90)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe Approach-Avoidance Task may be effective for improving SAD-related behaviors (e.g., intimacy building) and state affect.
“Supporting its efficacy, findings suggest that the AAT may be effective for improving SAD-related behaviors (e.g., intimacy building) and state affect (Loijen et al., 2021;Rinck et al., 2013;Taylor & Amir, 2012; though see Asnaani et al., 2014).”
From Evaluating Mechanisms: Mapping Weekly Dynamics between Experiential Avoidance and SAD Symptoms (2021) · cites this paper as Taylor & Amir, 2012
The Results (Main Analyses; page unavailable) report greater social approach behavior during a relationship-building interaction after AAT training, supporting the behavior portion of the claim. But the same section finds no differential effect on state anxiety, and the Discussion says the training did not influence subjective anxiety after training or interaction. The sample comprised students with elevated social anxiety symptoms, not people diagnosed with SAD. (LLM, conf=0.91)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe controlled laboratory-based relationship-building task used in the current study has previously been shown to facilitate interpersonal closeness.
“controlled laboratory-based relationship-building task previously shown to facilitate interpersonal closeness”
From The affective tie that binds: Examining the contribution of positive emotions and anxiety to relationship formation in social anxiety disorder (2017) · cites this paper as Taylor & Amir, 2012
The questions were designed to gradually increase in emotional content and the level of self-disclosure they elicited.
“The questions were designed to gradually increase in emotional content and the level of self-disclosure they elicited”
From The affective tie that binds: Examining the contribution of positive emotions and anxiety to relationship formation in social anxiety disorder (2017) · cites this paper as Taylor & Amir, 2012
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References 61 · Cited by 99
- Authors
- Taylor, C. T., & Amir, N.
- Affiliations
- San Diego State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Taylor, Charles T.
- Venue
- Behaviour Research and Therapy
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2012-09
- Volume
- 50
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 529-536
- ISSN
- 0005-7967 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3408559
- OpenAlex
- W2087033235
- Cited by
- 99
- References
- 61
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 10.28
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Behaviour Research and Therapy (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH087623, K99MH090243, R00MH090243)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- social anxiety, approach tendencies, approach-avoidance task, relationship building, social approach behavior
- MeSH terms
- Anxiety Disorders, Avoidance Learning, Cognition, Cues, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Photic Stimulation, Psychomotor Performance, Social Behavior, Young Adult, Self Report
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