Keynotes | K&Ts | GACs | Talks | Posters | Search

Poster D in Poster Session D: Wednesday, August 5, 2:00 – 3:45 pm, Kimmel Center, Shorin & Rosenthal Rooms

Beyond Averages: Identifying Latent Behavioral Strategies in Approach–Avoidance Conflict Using Probabilistic Clustering

Franziska Usée¹, Christiane A. Melzig², Dominik Endres¹; ¹Phillips-Universität Marburg, ²Philipps-Universität Marburg

Presenter: Dominik Endres

Individuals differ in how they navigate approach–avoidance conflicts (AAC), balancing rewards and punishments. We applied Bayesian Gaussian mixture modeling to an AAC paradigm and identified three latent behavioral strategies: coarse value-sensitive explorers, cost–benefit optimizers, and non-avoiders. These clusters differed in how selectively participants allocated effort across reward–punishment conditions, revealing graded versus coarse or indiscriminate strategies. Our results highlight that adaptive and maladaptive avoidance arise from distinct mechanisms and that probabilistic clustering can uncover hidden behavioral heterogeneity with relevance for neural and clinical investigations.

Topic Area: Decision-Making, Cognitive Control & Event Cognition