Actions and habits: The relation between cognitive control and behavioural autonomy

行为与习惯：认知控制与行为自主性之间的关系

基本信息

批准号：
BB/E011969/1
负责人：
Lawrence Wilkinson
金额：
$ 44.32万
依托单位：
CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2006
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2006 至无数据
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FE011969%2F1
关键词：
Actions habits relation between cognitive

项目摘要

When one comes to a difficult task, such as learning to drive a car, for the first time, each action you perform seems to require tremendous mental effort, and sequencing appropriate actions together (mirror, signal, manoeuvre) even more so, especially whilst you are performing some other task, such as changing gear. However, over time and with practice, you become able to perform each of these tasks seemingly effortlessly, with little apparent interference between them; now you can change gear, change lanes and hold a conversation with your passenger. Tasks that were once almost impossible, and that took all your attention to perform, become simple, and are performed without much conscious thought or dedicated attention. This project examines the different brain systems that underpin this transition between the mentally challenging, effortful production of responses that each require your full attention, and the fluid, reflexive production of habits that comes with experience. There is good reason for these two systems to exist / if we were all required to devote our full attention to all the tasks we perform, we would have little time or attention left to think about anything else / it is only because we can learn to perform tasks habitually and without effort that we free up our mental resources for learning about new events and concentrating on things that are important to us. At the same time, we need to have a way of concentrating our mind to allow us to override habits / just because we usually drive one route to work, and traverse that route almost without thinking, doesn't mean we should be incapable of varying that route if we know there are going to be roadworks. Recent evidence from non-human animals and humans suggests that we do indeed possess two systems of this sort. The proposed research will examine in detail the way in which different parts of the brain participate in the two systems. In particular, we will examine the involvement of two regions of the brain that seem to be involved. One, known as the prefrontal cortex, is the part of the brain that is most well developed in humans relative to other animals, and is often thought to be the region that allows us to control and plan our actions, and make decisions about what we want to do. The second is an evolutionarily more ancient region of the brain known as the striatum, and this is thought to be involved in basic response learning processes that then need control and direction, perhaps from the prefrontal cortex. What we want to know is how are different areas of these two regions involved in tasks when they are mentally-demanding and when they subsequently become habitual. At the same time, we also want to know if there is competition between these systems, and if this competition is the same sort of competition one experiences when trying to do two things at once (such as patting one's head and rubbing one's stomach). Finally, we want to find out what features of a task, and our experience with it, allow us to make the transition from effortful to habitual control (and back) / despite what is commonly thought, recent evidence suggests that it is not simple repetition of an action that leads to habit formation. Rather, the transition to habits seems to depend on the relationship between an action and the consistency with which that action produces a certain outcome. This work will not only inform us about the mental and brain processes that allow us to function normally, but is also important in relation to a variety of mental disorders in which processes governing our voluntary and habitual responses are disrupted. These include obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette syndrome, and, of course, habitual processes known to be important in drug-addiction.

当一个人遇到一项艰巨的任务时，例如第一次学习驾驶汽车时，您执行的每个动作似乎都需要巨大的心理努力，并更加努力地进行适当的操作（镜像，信号，机动），尤其是在执行其他任务（例如更换装备）的同时。但是，随着时间的流逝和实践，您似乎能够毫不费力地执行这些任务，而它们之间的干扰很少。现在，您可以更换装备，更换车道并与乘客进行对话。曾经几乎是不可能的任务，这使您的所有注意力都可以执行，变得简单，并且在没有太多意识的思想或专门关注的情况下执行。该项目研究了不同的大脑系统，这些系统是基于每个人都需要全部关注的精神挑战，精力产生的回应与经验带来的习惯的流动性，反思性产生之间的过渡。这两个系统存在充分的理由 /如果我们所有人都必须全力以赴，将我们的所有任务全力投入，那么我们几乎没有时间或关注其他任何事情来思考其他任何事情 /仅仅是因为我们可以习惯地学习任务，而无需努力，我们就可以释放我们的心理资源来学习新事件并专注于对我们重要的事情。同时，我们需要有一种集中精力的方式，以使我们能够覆盖习惯 /仅仅是因为我们通常会驾驶一条上班的路线，几乎不思考，并不意味着如果我们知道会有道路工程，我们不应该改变这条路线。非人类动物和人类的最新证据表明，我们确实拥有这两个系统。拟议的研究将详细研究大脑不同部分参与这两个系统的方式。特别是，我们将研究似乎涉及的大脑两个区域的参与。一种被称为前额叶皮层，是大脑相对于其他动物最发达的大脑的一部分，经常被认为是使我们能够控制和计划行动并就我们想做的事情做出决定的地区。第二个是一个被称为纹状体的大脑进化更古老的区域，这被认为参与了基本的响应学习过程，然后需要控制和方向，也许是从前额叶皮层中进行的。我们想知道的是，这两个区域的不同领域是如何在精神上掌握的任务以及随后成为习惯时的不同领域。同时，我们还想知道这些系统之间是否存在竞争，并且在试图一次做两件事时，这场比赛是同样的竞争（例如拍拍一个人的头和擦肚子）。最后，我们想找出一项任务的特征以及我们对其的经验，使我们能够从努力到习惯控制（和背部） /尽管经常思考，但最近的证据表明，这并不是对导致习惯形成的动作的简单重复。相反，向习惯的过渡似乎取决于动作与该动作产生一定结果的一致性之间的关系。这项工作不仅会告知我们有关使我们正常运作的心理和大脑过程的信息，而且与各种精神障碍有关，在这些精神障碍中，管理我们自愿和习惯反应的过程受到干扰。这些包括强迫症，图雷特综合征，当然还有习惯性过程在药物添加中很重要。