Control of behaviour by competing learning systems - summary of chapter 11 of The Wiley Handbook of cognitive control

The Wiley Handbook of cognitive control
Chapter 11
Control of behaviour by competing learning systems

Introduction

Most of us struggle sometimes to control our behaviour. Habit learning may play a role in this ‘intention-behaviour’ gap.

A dual-system theory of action control holds that these learning processes sometimes compete, but also cooperate, to control action.

Defining goal-directed action and habits

The term goal-directed actions refers to instrumental behaviours that are only performed when one has a certain goal and believes that this behaviour will increase the likelihood of reaching that goal.

Instrumental behaviours are learned as a consequence of a causal relationship between the action or response (R) and its outcome (O), as opposed to being controlled purely by predictive Pavlovian relationships between environmental stimuli (S) and the outcome. Once the instrumental status of behaviour has been established, we need to assess whether it meets the belief and desire criteria of goal-directed action. The belief criterion stipulates that goal-directed actions are mediated by knowledge of the causal action-outcome relationship. The desire criterion holds that goal-directed actions are only executed when the outcome is currently desirable, they need to constitute a goal.

When a goal-directed action is repeatedly performed, it can gradually turn into a habit, which is triggered by contextual stimuli, even when the consequences are no longer valuable.

Thorndike proposed that the experience of reward following an instrumental response leads to the strengthening of a mental association between contextual stimuli (S) and the response (R). On future occasions, the context will directly activate the response through the S-R association. The omission of a dreaded aversive event may also act to strengthen the S-R link. The occurrence of an aversive outcome should weaken the S-R association.

The difference between habits and goal-directed actions is that only in the latter case the performance is mediated by knowledge of the R à O relationship and an evaluation of the anticipated outcome in light of one’s current motivation. Habits are mediated by S-R links. They are ‘behaviourally autonomous’ of the current desirability of the outcome.

Habits are considered to have adaptive value. They can be executed fast in an efficient manner. By freeing up other cognitive resources, habit formation allows us to attend to other important matters.

Investigating the goal-directed versus habitual status of behaviour

Frequent repetition leads to a shift from goal-directed control towards habit. Habits are contextually dependent.

Outcome-revaluation studies in animals

Goal-directed action in animals

Rats are capable of goal-directed action.

Habit in animals

Behavioural repetition renders behavioural habitual in the sense that it is no longer dependent on the current desirability of the outcome.

Outcome-revaluation studies in humans

Goal-directed action in humans

It is generally assumed that humans are capable of goal-directed action.

Habit in humans

Human behaviour loses its immediate sensitivity to outcome value after extensive repetition.

Neurobiology of action and habit

Animal lesioning research

Animals studies have implicated several regions in goal-directed control.

Pretraining lesions of the prelimbic cortex lead to behavioural autonomy, even after limited training. Therefore, the prelimbic cortex appears to be crucially involved in the R-O learning processes that underlies goal-directed action.

Both pre- and post-training lesions of the dorsomedial striatum disrupts goal-directed performance. This implicates this subcortical area in both the acquisition and expression of goal-directed action. It has been suggested that this region is responsible for long-term storage of R-O associations. These cortical and striatal areas are heavily anatomically interconnected, suggesting that they are part of a corticostriatal pathway for goal-directed action. Another component of this pathway is the mediodorsal thalamus.

Lesions of the dorsolateral striatum disrupts the formation of habits. R-O associations remain to some extent intact following extensive training, but may be by-passed by the more direct S-R habits. The ability to act in line with current goals can be compromised by concurrently formed, competing habits.

An important area for habitual control is the infralimbic cortex. The infralimbic cortex and the dorsolateral striatum may be part of a corticostriatal pathway for habitual action control.

Human neuroimaging research

Human neuroimaging research has provided evidence for dissociable corticostriatal pathways that underlie goal-directed versus habitual action control. Preferential responding for the still-valuable outcome is associated with activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex/medial orbitofrontal cortex. This maybe the functional homologue of the rodent prelimbic cortex.

Clinical relevance

The gradual formation of S-R habits may contribute to treatment resistance of frequently performed maladaptive behaviours. A tendency towards aberrantly strong habit formation and/or weak goal-directed control may render certain individuals particularly vulnerable to the development of maladaptive habits.

Addiction

Drug abuse was the earliest clinical condition to be characterized in terms of dominant S-R habitual control. Recreational drug use starts out as voluntary, but the highly rewarding effect of drugs can lead to the formation of strong S-R associations, such that goal-directed drug seeking rapidly transits into stimulus-driven compulsive drug-seeking habits.

The gradual shift towards behavioural autonomy of the drug-seeking response is reflected in the progression from ventral to dorsal striatum. Weak prefrontal functioning as a vulnerability factor as well as a consequence of prolonged drug use has been proposed to underlie impaired goal-directed and inhibitory control.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

There is a general tendency toward habit propensity in OCD. This is related to hyperactivity in the ventromedial prefrontal-orbitorfrontal cortex and caudate.

Obesity and eating disorders

Force of habit may help explain why some people fail to break unhealthy habits. These individuals may show accelerated habit formation.

Habits as a transdiagnostic compulsive trait

The habit propensity may be a transdiagnostic trait for compulsive conditions. The question arises to what extent habit propensity is characteristic of compulsive conditions specifically, or instead is a common factor across psychopathologies and in individuals with impaired prefrontal functioning.

Stress may lead to dominant habitual control.

 

Image

Access: 
Public

Image

Join WorldSupporter!
Check more of topic:
This content is used in:

Addiction and compulsions

Search a summary

Image

 

 

Contributions: posts

Help other WorldSupporters with additions, improvements and tips

Add new contribution

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

Image

Spotlight: topics

Check the related and most recent topics and summaries:
Institutions, jobs and organizations:
Activities abroad, study fields and working areas:
This content is also used in .....

Image

Check how to use summaries on WorldSupporter.org

Online access to all summaries, study notes en practice exams

How and why use WorldSupporter.org for your summaries and study assistance?

  • For free use of many of the summaries and study aids provided or collected by your fellow students.
  • For free use of many of the lecture and study group notes, exam questions and practice questions.
  • For use of all exclusive summaries and study assistance for those who are member with JoHo WorldSupporter with online access
  • For compiling your own materials and contributions with relevant study help
  • For sharing and finding relevant and interesting summaries, documents, notes, blogs, tips, videos, discussions, activities, recipes, side jobs and more.

Using and finding summaries, notes and practice exams on JoHo WorldSupporter

There are several ways to navigate the large amount of summaries, study notes en practice exams on JoHo WorldSupporter.

  1. Use the summaries home pages for your study or field of study
  2. Use the check and search pages for summaries and study aids by field of study, subject or faculty
  3. Use and follow your (study) organization
    • by using your own student organization as a starting point, and continuing to follow it, easily discover which study materials are relevant to you
    • this option is only available through partner organizations
  4. Check or follow authors or other WorldSupporters
  5. Use the menu above each page to go to the main theme pages for summaries
    • Theme pages can be found for international studies as well as Dutch studies

Do you want to share your summaries with JoHo WorldSupporter and its visitors?

Quicklinks to fields of study for summaries and study assistance

Main summaries home pages:

Main study fields:

Main study fields NL:

Follow the author: SanneA
Work for WorldSupporter

Image

JoHo can really use your help!  Check out the various student jobs here that match your studies, improve your competencies, strengthen your CV and contribute to a more tolerant world

Working for JoHo as a student in Leyden

Parttime werken voor JoHo

Statistics
2325