Training children to approach or avoid novel animals: Effects on self-reported attitudes and fear beliefs and information-seeking behaviors

► Children were trained to move a manikin towards one novel animal and away from another. ► Avoidance increased negative affective ratings and fear of the animals. ► Approach increased positive affective ratings and decreased fear of the animals. ► A movement congruent information-seeking bias emerged. ► Training avoidance in the absence of other information is sufficient to promote fear.