Dopamine (DA) is critical for reward processing, but significantly less is known about its role in punishment avoidance. Using a combined approach-avoidance task, we measured phasic DA release in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of rats during presentation of cues that predicted reward, punishment or neutral outcomes and investigated individual differences based on avoidance performance. Here we sho...

Sixty-eight percent of U.S. adults are overweight/obese, and this epidemic has physical, psychosocial, and behavioral consequences. An internet sample of adults (N=2997) perceiving themselves as larger than ideal in clothing size reported their body mass index (BMI), relative clothing size (RS; discrepancy between current and ideal size), and avoidance behaviors. Exploratory factor analysis of ...

This research examined the hypothesis that self-esteem negatively predicts avoidance (relative to approach) personal goals, as well as the hypothesis that self-esteem mediates the link between indicators of approach and avoidance temperament and avoidance (relative to approach) personal goals. Study 1 established that self-esteem is indeed negatively related to avoidance (relative to approach) ...

The present study examined associations between coping as measured by the Brief COPE and experiential avoidance as measured by the AAQ-II and the role of both constructs in predicting psychological distress and well-being. Specifically, associations between experiential avoidance and other types of coping were examined, and factor analysis addressed the question of whether experiential avoidanc...

Recently, cross-sectional research has demonstrated that depressive rumination is significantly associated with the tendency to engage in cognitive and behavioral avoidance. This evidence suggests that rumination may be the result of attempts to avoid personally threatening thoughts, in a manner suggested by multiple contemporary theories of worry. This investigation examined the temporal relat...

objective: generalized anxiety disorder is one of the most common anxiety disorders in the general ‎population. several studies suggest that anxiety sensitivity is a vulnerability factor in generalized ‎anxiety severity. however, some other studies suggest that negative repetitive thinking and ‎experiential avoidance as response factors can explain this relationship. therefore, this study ‎aime...

introduction: the role of serotonergic fibers in avoidance learning is controversial. involvement of the dorsal raphe nucleus (drn), the main source of hippocampal projecting serotonergic fibers in acquisition, consolidation and retrieval of passive avoidance (pa) learning, was investigated by functional suppression of this area. materials and methods: drn functional inactivation was done by li...

objective: young’s schema theory provides a theoretical basis that relates coping styles to early maladaptive schemas. this research aimed to identify maladaptive coping strategies including avoidance and over compensation strategies associated with migraine and tension headaches.  methods: the present research was of cross sectional and correlational study type. the measures included headache ...

Going beyond previous studies on satisfaction in pursuing approach versus avoidance goals, the current study is the first to examine individual satisfaction in pursuing approach and avoidance goals as determined by regulatory fit between type of goal and type of strategy. Specifically, the present study shows that people with approach goals have greater satisfaction when they use an approach st...

Characteristics of the acquisition processes of discrete lever-press and shuttle avoidance responses (intertrial interval = 25 sec, warning duration = 5 sec with an escape contingency, and 1 session = 1 hr training/day) as well as those of the ambulatory activity were investigated in 6 strains of mice (dd, ICR, BALB/c, C57BL/6, C3H/He and DBA/2). In the lever-press avoidance situation, the dd, ...