Effects of Approach–Avoidance Swiping Interactions on the Valence Estimation Using Tablet AAT

Bodily activity may influence subjects’ cognitive processing against embodied cognition. Approaching positive objects and avoiding negative ones facilitate the cognitive processing of emotional information by enhancing valence estimation. The effect may be termed the “Approaching positive and Avoiding negative Compatibility Effect (AACE)”. Implicit approach–avoidance behavior towards stimuli can be measured using the Approach–Avoidance Task (AAT). We recently expanded a touchscreen tablet AAT which seems a more flexible tool for measuring approach–avoidance effects on the valence estimation. In addition, the impact of emotional information on physical behavior might vary depending on the level of arousal. Therefore, we here integrated affective arousal with the AACE to investigate the change of valence estimations of emotional pictures with different (high/low) arousal levels before and after swiping them (toward/away) directly by hand on a touchscreen tablet. Eighty participants evaluated the valence of 40 emotional pictures from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) twice, first after watching them and second after swiping them, either toward or away from their bodies. As hypothesized, the results are consistent with the AACE, that is, swiping positive pictures toward the body or swiping negative ones away on the touchscreen tablet directly by hand led to a positive change in their valence estimation. Additionally, the change of the valence estimation was significantly enlarged when approaching emotional pictures with higher affective arousal. However, this higher arousal effect was not found when swiping pictures away. We argue that the effect of affective arousal and valence on approach–avoidance behavior seems to be separated. The approaching movement (toward) was more susceptible to the higher arousal of the stimuli, while the avoidance movement (away) was more sensitive to the valence. Furthermore, the touchscreen tablet AAT seems efficient and can reliably measure known approach–avoidance behavior toward cognitive processing testing both in the laboratory and in the field.