Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder01:28

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

123
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition characterized by recurrent obsessions, compulsions, or both, which consume significant time and interfere with daily functioning. Obsessions involve persistent, intrusive, and unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that evoke anxiety. Common examples include irrational fears of contamination or harm. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts performed to reduce the anxiety caused by obsessions. For instance, individuals...
123
Operant Conditioning Intervention01:24

Operant Conditioning Intervention

56
Operant conditioning serves as a foundational principle in therapeutic interventions aimed at modifying maladaptive behaviors. Central to this approach is the notion that behaviors, both adaptive and maladaptive, are learned through reinforcement. By analyzing the environmental factors that reinforce problematic behaviors, clinicians can design interventions to weaken these reinforcements and replace maladaptive behaviors with healthier alternatives.
In operant conditioning, behaviors that are...
56
Anxiety: Overview01:18

Anxiety: Overview

265
Anxiety is a common mental disorder featuring excessive worry, fear, and apprehension, significantly affecting daily life. People with anxiety disorders experience persistent and intense anxiety, interrupting their everyday functioning.
Individuals with anxiety often experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including sweating, trembling, tachycardia, and disturbances in sleep patterns. These symptoms vary in intensity and frequency but are generally disruptive and distressing.
265
Personality Disorders: Dependent and Obsessive-Compulsive01:24

Personality Disorders: Dependent and Obsessive-Compulsive

40
Dependent personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder are two separate psychological conditions that influence behavior, relationships, and overall life functioning. Though both involve maladaptive behaviors, their core characteristics and motivations differ significantly.
 Dependent Personality Disorder
Dependent personality disorder is characterized by an excessive reliance on others to manage various aspects of life. Individuals with this disorder often struggle...
40
Associative Learning01:27

Associative Learning

344
Associative learning is a fundamental concept in behavioral psychology, wherein a connection is established between two stimuli or events, leading to a learned response. This process is critical in understanding how behaviors are acquired and modified. Conditioning, the mechanism through which associations are formed, can be divided into two main types: classical conditioning and operant conditioning, each elucidating different aspects of associative learning.
Classical conditioning, also known...
344
Real-World Application of Classical Conditioning01:15

Real-World Application of Classical Conditioning

550
Classical conditioning not only includes the initial pairing of stimuli but also extends to more complex forms, such as higher-order conditioning. Higher-order conditioning involves creating associations beyond the primary conditioned stimulus, resulting in a chain of conditioned responses.
Higher-order, or second-order, conditioning occurs when a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an already established conditioned stimulus through repeated pairings. For instance, if a dog has been...
550

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Depression and anxiety symptom severity correlates with subjective fatigue characteristics in individuals with anxiety and mood disorders.

BMC psychiatry·2026
Same author

Understanding atypical eating behaviours in women with obsessive-compulsive disorder: A qualitative study.

PloS one·2026
Same author

Mapping policies related to problematic usage of the internet in seven European countries: Netherlands, Spain, Hungary, Lithuania, Portugal, Estonia and Switzerland.

Comprehensive psychiatry·2026
Same author

Set-shifting and task-switching make differential contributions to divergent thinking in adolescence.

BMC psychology·2026
Same author

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): often a missed diagnosis and misdiagnosed - CORRIGENDUM.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science·2026
Same author

Problematic usage of the internet: A policy map of the use of internet and its possible mental health consequences in adolescents across United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Canada, the United States, and New Zealand.

Comprehensive psychiatry·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 26, 2025

Signal Attenuation as a Rat Model of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
09:29

Signal Attenuation as a Rat Model of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Published on: January 9, 2015

15.5K

Action sequence learning, habits, and automaticity in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Paula Banca1,2, Maria Herrojo Ruiz3, Miguel Fernando Gonzalez-Zalba4

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Elife
|May 9, 2024
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients exhibit heightened subjective habit tendencies and a preference for familiar actions, suggesting a goal/habit imbalance. Smartphone app training shows promise for habit reversal therapy in OCD.

Keywords:
action sequencesautomaticitygoal-directed behaviorhabitshumanmotor sequence learningneuroscienceobsessive-compulsive disorder

More Related Videos

Marble Burying and Nestlet Shredding as Tests of Repetitive, Compulsive-like Behaviors in Mice
06:50

Marble Burying and Nestlet Shredding as Tests of Repetitive, Compulsive-like Behaviors in Mice

Published on: December 24, 2013

28.4K
The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task
10:39

The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task

Published on: May 3, 2018

8.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 26, 2025

Signal Attenuation as a Rat Model of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
09:29

Signal Attenuation as a Rat Model of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Published on: January 9, 2015

15.5K
Marble Burying and Nestlet Shredding as Tests of Repetitive, Compulsive-like Behaviors in Mice
06:50

Marble Burying and Nestlet Shredding as Tests of Repetitive, Compulsive-like Behaviors in Mice

Published on: December 24, 2013

28.4K
The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task
10:39

The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task

Published on: May 3, 2018

8.5K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • The goal/habit imbalance theory proposes that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) involves enhanced habit formation and impaired goal-directed control.
  • Understanding the interplay between goal-directed and habitual actions is crucial for explaining compulsive behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To directly test the goal/habit imbalance theory in individuals with OCD.
  • To investigate the role of subjective habitual tendencies and action valuation in compulsive behaviors.
  • To explore the therapeutic potential of smartphone-based habit training.

Main Methods:

  • A month-long daily smartphone app training regimen was used to teach chunked action sequences to OCD patients and healthy controls.
  • Behavioral tasks assessed procedural learning, automaticity, subjective habitual tendencies, and choice preferences under different feedback conditions (monetary vs. physical effort).
  • A recently developed questionnaire measured subjective habitual tendencies, and symptom relief was self-reported post-intervention.

Main Results:

  • Both groups achieved similar levels of procedural learning and objective automaticity.
  • OCD patients reported significantly higher subjective habitual tendencies.
  • While both groups responded to monetary feedback, OCD patients showed a preference for trained/habitual sequences when choices involved physical effort, attributing higher intrinsic value to familiar actions.
  • OCD patients utilized the habit-training app more and reported symptom relief.

Conclusions:

  • OCD is characterized by an imbalance between goal-directed and habitual systems, with heightened subjective habit tendencies.
  • The tendency to assign greater intrinsic value to familiar actions may be a key mechanism in OCD compulsions.
  • Smartphone-based habit training presents a potential therapeutic avenue for habit reversal in OCD.