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Reactive Risk-taking: Anxiety Regulation via Approach Motivation Increases Risk-taking Behavior
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- Author / Creator
- Leota, Joshua
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Experimental research and real-world events demonstrate a puzzling phenomenon—anxiety, which primarily inspires caution, sometimes increases risk-taking. The goal of the present research was to test whether this phenomenon is due to the regulation of anxiety via reactive approach motivation (RAM), which may bias people towards rewards and mute sensitivity to negative outcomes. In Study 1 (N = 231), an academic anxiety threat caused increased risk-taking on the Behavioral Analogue Risk Task (BART) among trait approach-motivated participants. In Study 2 (N = 230), experimentally manipulated approach motivation caused increased risk-taking on the BART among trait approach-motivated participants. These results support a RAM interpretation of what I call reactive risk-taking. Approach-motivated individuals may regulate the aversive feeling associated with anxiety by becoming more approach motivated and therefore less sensitive to negative outcomes, resulting in a propensity for risk-taking behavior. Lastly, I discuss theoretical and practical implications of this research and potential directions for future studies.
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- Subjects / Keywords
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- Graduation date
- Fall 2020
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- Type of Item
- Thesis
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- Degree
- Master of Science
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- License
- Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission.