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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 17, 2025

A Fully Automated Rodent Conditioning Protocol for Sensorimotor Integration and Cognitive Control Experiments

A Fully Automated Rodent Conditioning Protocol for Sensorimotor Integration and Cognitive Control Experiments

Published on: April 15, 2014

Goal-direction and habit in human and nonhuman behavioral sequences (behavior chains).

Eric A Thrailkill¹, Noah Elste¹, Catherine R Thorpe¹

¹University of Vermont, Department of Psychological Science.

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Animal Learning and Cognition

|April 7, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Habit formation in humans was investigated using a two-response chain task. Extended training led to habit development, making the first response insensitive to changes in the second response

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Area of Science:

Behavioral neuroscience
Cognitive psychology

Background:

Habits play a crucial role in daily life and are implicated in behavioral pathologies like addiction.
Research in rats suggests habit formation, characterized by outcome-insensitivity, develops with extensive practice.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate habit formation in humans using a two-response discriminated behavior chain.
To determine if extended training reduces sensitivity of the first response (R1) to the extinction of the second response (R2).

Main Methods:

Rats and human participants learned two-response chains (R1-R2) where both responses were needed for reinforcement.
R1's sensitivity to R2 extinction was assessed after moderate and extended training.
Experiment 3 specifically trained humans on a single R1-R2 chain before R2 extinction.

Main Results:

In rats, R1 was sensitive to R2 extinction after moderate but not extended training, indicating habit.
In humans, extended training on multiple chains did not reduce R1 sensitivity to R2 extinction.
However, with a single chain and extended training, human R1 became insensitive to R2 extinction, suggesting habit formation.

Conclusions:

Habit formation, characterized by response insensitivity to outcome changes, can be demonstrated in humans under specific laboratory conditions.
Findings align with nonhuman research but highlight challenges in demonstrating human habits.
This research contributes to understanding the mechanisms underlying habit formation and its potential role in addiction.