title: The pulling power of chocolate: Effects of approach-avoidance training on approach bias and consumption.
abstract: Previous research has shown that action tendencies to approach alcohol may be modified using computerized Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT), and that this impacted on subsequent consumption. A recent paper in this journal (Becker, Jostman, Wiers, & Holland, 2015) failed to show significant training effects for food in three studies: Nor did it find effects on subsequent consumption. However, avoidance training to high calorie foods was tested against a control rather than Approach training. The present study used a more comparable paradigm to the alcohol studies. It randomly assigned 90 participants to 'approach' or 'avoid' chocolate images on the AAT, and then asked them to taste and rate chocolates. A significant interaction of condition and time showed that training to avoid chocolate resulted in faster avoidance responses to chocolate images, compared with training to approach it. Consistent with Becker et al.'s Study 3, no effect was found on amounts of chocolate consumed, although a newly published study in this journal (Schumacher, Kemps, & Tiggemann, 2016) did do so. The collective evidence does not as yet provide solid basis for the application of AAT training to reduction of problematic food consumption, although clinical trials have yet to be conducted.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Children's Health Research, Institute of Health & Biomedical Innovation and School of Psychology & Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, 62 Raymond Terrace, South Brisbane, Qld 4101, Australia. Electronic address: lewislama@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Hugh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dickson
authors.affiliation: Centre for Children's Health Research, Institute of Health & Biomedical Innovation and School of Psychology & Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, 62 Raymond Terrace, South Brisbane, Qld 4101, Australia. Electronic address: david.kavanagh@qut.edu.au.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kavanagh
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia. Electronic address: colin.macleod@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: MacLeod
mesh_terms: D001362:Avoidance Learning; D000069956:Chocolate; D002755:Choice Behavior; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011897:Random Allocation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013649:Taste; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Approach avoidance; Approach bias; Chocolate; Response training