Obsessive-compulsive tendencies shift the balance between competitive neurocognitive functions
Bianka Brezóczki1,2,3, Teodóra Vékony4, Bence Csaba Farkas5
1Doctoral School of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, 1064 Budapest, Hungary.
Iscience
|July 24, 2026
Summary
Obsessive-compulsive tendencies impact how the brain learns automatically. Stronger statistical learning (SL) is linked to less cognitive flexibility, but this effect lessens with higher obsessive-compulsive tendencies.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is theorized to involve an imbalance between automatic and goal-directed processes.
- Existing evidence primarily uses reward-based tasks, neglecting unsupervised learning mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between statistical learning (SL) and cognitive flexibility in individuals with varying obsessive-compulsive (OC) tendencies.
- To explore unsupervised learning in the context of OC tendencies.
Main Methods:
- A probabilistic sequence learning task (feedback-free) and a card-sorting task were administered to 404 university students.
- Participants completed tasks online, adopting a spectrum approach to OC tendencies.
Main Results:
- An inverse relationship was found between SL and cognitive flexibility; stronger SL correlated with reduced cognitive flexibility.
- This association weakened as OC tendencies increased.
Conclusions:
- Obsessive-compulsive tendencies influence the interaction between automatic (SL) and goal-directed (cognitive flexibility) functions.
- Findings extend OCD theory beyond supervised, reward-dependent learning paradigms into unsupervised contexts.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
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...
01:24Personality Disorders: Dependent and Obsessive-Compulsive
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 with...
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 with...
01:28Disorders of the Nervous Tissue
Nervous tissue is a vital component of the human body's communication system, enabling us to perceive and respond to stimuli. However, like all other tissues, it is vulnerable to disorders and diseases that can significantly impact our neurological functioning.
Homeostatic Imbalances:
Alzheimer's disease manifests as a gradual decline in memory and cognitive abilities, attributed to the buildup of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain.
Parkinson's disease arises from the...
Homeostatic Imbalances:
Alzheimer's disease manifests as a gradual decline in memory and cognitive abilities, attributed to the buildup of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain.
Parkinson's disease arises from the...
01:15Causes of Social Behavior II: Cognitive Processes
Cognitive processes affect social behavior by guiding how individuals perceive, interpret, and respond to social stimuli. These mental processes enable individuals to assess others' behaviors, attribute causes to their actions, and form expectations based on past experiences.Causes of Behavior and Social JudgmentsIndividuals determine the causes of others' behaviors by distinguishing between personal traits and external circumstances. For example, if a friend frequently arrives late, an...
01:14Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory
The cerebellum, while traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in memory, particularly in procedural memory, which involves learning motor tasks that become automatic through repetition. For example, studies have shown that when the cerebellum is damaged, individuals or animals lose the ability to learn conditioned motor responses, such as the conditioned eye-blink response in classical conditioning experiments with rabbits. This study demonstrates the cerebellum's...
02:45Self-Discrepancy Theory
One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.