The appetitive motivation scale and other BAS measures in the prediction of Approach and Active Avoidance

Abstract

The Appetitive Motivation Scale (Jackson & Smillie, 2004) is a new trait conceptualisation of Gray's (1970, 1991) Behavioural Activation System. In this experiment we explore relationships that the Appetitive Motivation Scale and other measures of Gray's model have with Approach and Active Avoidance responses. Using a sample of 144 undergraduate students, both Appetitive Motivation and Sensitivity to Reward (from the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire, SPSRQ; Torrubia, Avila, Molto, & Ceseras, 2001), were found to be significant predictors of Approach and Active Avoidance response latency. This confirms previous experimental validations of the SPSRQ (e.g., Avil..