Research article summary (published 30 Oct 2006):

What you want (and do not want) affects what you see (and do not see): avoidance social goals and social events.

Full Abstract

Two studies examined the influence of approach and avoidance social goals on memory for and evaluation of ambiguous social information. Study 1 found that individual differences in avoidance social goals were associated with greater memory of negative information, negatively biased interpretation of ambiguous social cues, and a more pessimistic evaluation of social actors. Study 2 experimentally manipulated social goals and found that individuals high in avoidance social motivation remembered more negative information and expressed more dislike for a stranger in the avoidance condition than in the approach condition. Results suggest that avoidance social goals are associated with emphasizing potential threats when making sense of the social environment.

Author information

Author/s: Strachman, Amy (A); Gable, Shelly L (SL);

Affiliation: Psychology Department, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. astrach(-atsign-)ucla.edu.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Journal: Personality and social psychology bulletin (Pers Soc Psychol Bull), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Nov; vol 32 (issue 11) : pp 1446-58

Dates: Created 2006/10/10; Completed 2007/01/23;

PMID: 17030887, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult Escape Reaction Female Goals Humans Life Change Events

Love Male Motivation Questionnaires Social Behavior Social Environment

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