Online dating apps have become an increasingly common way to meet prospective partners and form relationships. Though previous research lends insight into who uses these platforms and why, relatively little is known about the nature of in-app behavior during that usage. The current study directly monitors sessions of dating app usage, observing how users cycle through and then make decisions about assortments of potential partners. Adopting a motivated cognition perspective (Lang, 2006), trait levels of appetitive (ASA) and defensive motivational reactivity (DSA) were found to significantly influence a variety of in-app behaviors. Specifically, individuals with relatively lower trait levels of DSA and higher levels of trait ASA were found to browse prospective partner profiles at the fastest rate. Further, trait DSA was positively associated with the amount of information sought before a decision was made to “like” or reject a prospective partner, with this effect moderated by trait ASA. Finally, trait DSA of the app user was negatively associated with the likelihood of a given profile being liked. These results provide new empirical insight into patterns of behavior occurring within sessions of dating app usage. Additionally, they highlight a special consideration for applying a motivated cognition perspective to predict media choices with motivationally-relevant real-world implications: namely, the possibility that trait motivation tendencies in external offline behavior may influence the usage of media with related consequences.

在线约会应用程序已成为与潜在合作伙伴见面并建立关系的一种越来越普遍的方式。尽管以前的研究可以深入了解谁使用这些平台以及为什么使用该平台，但是对于在使用过程中应用内行为的性质知之甚少。当前的研究直接监视约会应用程序的使用情况，观察用户如何循环浏览，然后就潜在合作伙伴的种类做出决策。采用积极的认知观点（Lang，2006年），发现食欲（ASA）和防御性动机反应（DSA）的特质水平显着影响各种应用内行为。具体来说，发现DSA的性状水平相对较低而ASA的性状水平较高的个体以最快的速度浏览预期的伴侣资料。进一步，特质DSA与决定“喜欢”或拒绝准合作伙伴之前寻求的信息量呈正相关，这种影响由特质ASA减轻。最后，应用程序用户的特征DSA与给定配置文件被喜欢的可能性负相关。这些结果为约会应用程序使用过程中发生的行为模式提供了新的经验性见解。此外，它们突出了使用动机认知角度来预测具有动机相关现实意义的媒体选择的特殊考虑：即，外部离线行为中的特质动机倾向可能会影响媒体的使用，并产生相关后果。特质ASA可以减轻这种影响。最后，应用程序用户的特征DSA与给定配置文件被喜欢的可能性负相关。这些结果为约会应用程序使用过程中发生的行为模式提供了新的经验性见解。此外，它们突出了应用动机认知角度来预测具有动机相关现实意义的媒体选择的特殊考虑：即，外部离线行为中的特质动机倾向可能会影响媒体的使用，并产生相关后果。特质ASA可以减轻这种影响。最后，应用程序用户的特征DSA与给定配置文件被喜欢的可能性负相关。这些结果为约会应用程序使用过程中发生的行为模式提供了新的经验性见解。此外，它们突出了应用动机认知角度来预测具有动机相关现实意义的媒体选择的特殊考虑：即，外部离线行为中的特质动机倾向可能会影响媒体的使用，并产生相关后果。