Habits and goals: a motivational perspective on action control. (April 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ceceli, Ahmet O; Tricomi, Elizabeth
• Is Part Of: Current opinion in behavioral sciences. Volume 20(2018)
• Page Start: 110
• Page End: 116
• Publication Date: 2018-04
• Subjects: Psychology -- Periodicals; 150.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2017.12.005
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2352-1546

Abstract

Highlights: Motivated actions are either cue-driven (habitual), or value-based (goal-directed). Cue-driven and value-based systems are regulated by distinct neural circuitry. Several disorders show a bias toward habits and exhibit neural discrepancies. Improving current methods is crucial for enhancing translational value of research. Abstract : Two distinct systems govern the motivational control of action: first, cue-driven, outcome-insensitive habits, and second, value-based, goal-directed behaviors. These separate but interactive systems are based in distinct neural circuits — habitual behaviors are driven by a circuit of putamen-thalamic-motor regions, whereas value-based decision making relies on a top-down PFC-caudate network. This review highlights the recent advancements in behavioral science that investigate the motivational underpinnings of habits, situates contemporary behavioral methods into a framework of motivation, and identifies motivational aspects of habit-based pathologies. We also contextualize the recent literature on habits to highlight the necessity of improving our methods and promoting future research attempts to yield translational value (e.g. restoring flexibility in rigid habits).