Control of behaviour by competing learning systems - de Wit Flashcards
Most, if not all, people sometimes struggle to control their behavior (intention-behavior gap). Habit learning may play a role in this.
oke
goal-directed behaviour =
instrumental behaviour that is only performed when one has a certain goal and believes that this behaviour will increase the likelihood of reaching that goal.
this behaviour is mediated by:
- the cognitive belief criterion
- the motivational desire criterion
cognitive belief criterion =
a representation of the causal relationship between the action and its outcome (R-O relationship)
motivational desire criterion =
a representation of the current goal/incentive value of the outcome. the behaviour is only performed when the outcome is currently desirable.
when a goal-directed action is repeatedly performed…
it can turn into a habit.
instrumental behaviour = behaviour that is learned as a result of knowledge of an R-O relationship
habit based action =
instrumental behaviour that is triggered by contextual stimuli, independent of the current motivation for the outcome. according to the law of effect, habits are mediated by S-R links and are therefore autonomous of the current desirability of the outcome: they are automatically activated by the stimulus.
Law of effect =
(thorndike)
the idea that habits are formed when reinforcement follows behavior because this reinforces a stimulus-response (S-R) association between stimuli and behavior, while habits reduce when they are followed by punishment because this decreases the S-R association.
outcome-revaluation (or devaluation) studies
The classical experimental paradigm that is used to determine whether a certain behavior is goal-directed or habitual.
3 phases of the outcome-revaluation paradigms
- Instrumental learning: a hungry rat is trained to press a lever to get food in a ‘Skinner box’.
- Outcome devaluation: the rat is removed from the ‘Skinner box’ and the outcome is devalued in some way (pairing it with nausea inducing substance, giving unlimited access to it).
- Critical test: the rat is returned to the ‘Skinner box’ and can press the lever again. There are 2
possibilities, which determine whether the behavior is goal-directed or habitual:
- Goal-directed: the rat will reduce the lever pressing for the devalued food, because getting it is not an important goal anymore or avoiding it is even a goal (in case of nausea induction).
- Habitual: the context will reactivate the response; the rat will continue to press the lever.
(The test phase is carried out in extinction because this ensures that behavior is based on previously acquired associations, independent of any potential impact of delivery of the devalued outcome itself. It is kept short because the subjects will eventually realize no rewards are being delivered.)
wat waren de resultaten van deze studie
The outcome-revaluation test shows that rats are capable of goal-directed action, as they reduced their lever pressing for the devalued food in the test phase. However, in subsequent studies, it was found that extensive overtraining diminished the devaluation effect: rats continued to press for the food.
Human studies
Human versions of the outcome-revaluation task include the same essential phases. There are many versions (you will see 1 more extensively in the next article by Tricomi et al., 2009) but it always includes instrumental learning, outcome devaluation, and a test phase.
conclusie van de studie
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 such as in addiction, OCD and obesity and eating disorders.
There seems to be dominant S-R habitual control. Drug use starts out as voluntary, but highly rewarding effects of drugs can lead to the formation of strong S-R associations leading to compulsive drug-seeking habits.
dus verschil goal-directed en habits in letters
goal-directed = R-O
habits = S-R
