The research project The Prospecting Brain in Inhibition and Approach explores how people can better
understand and pursue their goals and motivation through mental time travel to their personal future
(prospection). The aim is to discover how prospection helps individuals overcome goal conflicts and
strengthen their motivation.
The project is based on the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory, which posits that our behavior is governed
by two systems: the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS), which responds to conflicts and anxiety, and the
Behavioral Approach System (BAS), which is oriented towards rewards and goal pursuit. When individuals
experience goal conflicts, the BIS is activated, leading to anxiety and inhibition. Through prospection, this
state is expected to transition to a BAS-activated state, characterized by increased goal-drive and agency.
The project investigates how neural activity in key brain regions changes when individuals shift from an
anxiety-related state to a goal-oriented state through prospection. Volunteers who regularly engage in
volunteer work and experience goal conflicts will participate in a five-session coaching program. The
study employs a multi-method approach, including self-reports, behavioral measures, and neuroimaging
analyses, to capture changes in brain activity.
This innovative research project aims to enhance our understanding of how people resolve motivational
conflicts and how this process is anchored in the brain.