Agency and the Calibration of Motivated Behavior

Justin M. Moscarello; Catherine A. Hartley

doi:10.1016/j.tics.2017.06.008

Agency and the Calibration of Motivated Behavior

Justin M. Moscarello, Catherine A. Hartley

Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

Abstract

The controllability of positive or negative environmental events has long been recognized as a critical factor determining their impact on an organism. In studies across species, controllable and uncontrollable reinforcement have been found to yield divergent effects on subsequent behavior. Here we present a model of the organizing influence of control, or a lack thereof, on the behavioral repertoire. We propose that individuals derive a generalizable estimate of agency from controllable and uncontrollable outcomes, which serves to calibrate their behavioral strategies in a manner that is most likely to be adaptive given their prior experience.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	725-735
Number of pages	11
Journal	Trends in Cognitive Sciences
Volume	21
Issue number	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2017.06.008
State	Published - Oct 2017

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive Neuroscience

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10.1016/j.tics.2017.06.008

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abstract = "The controllability of positive or negative environmental events has long been recognized as a critical factor determining their impact on an organism. In studies across species, controllable and uncontrollable reinforcement have been found to yield divergent effects on subsequent behavior. Here we present a model of the organizing influence of control, or a lack thereof, on the behavioral repertoire. We propose that individuals derive a generalizable estimate of agency from controllable and uncontrollable outcomes, which serves to calibrate their behavioral strategies in a manner that is most likely to be adaptive given their prior experience.",

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AB - The controllability of positive or negative environmental events has long been recognized as a critical factor determining their impact on an organism. In studies across species, controllable and uncontrollable reinforcement have been found to yield divergent effects on subsequent behavior. Here we present a model of the organizing influence of control, or a lack thereof, on the behavioral repertoire. We propose that individuals derive a generalizable estimate of agency from controllable and uncontrollable outcomes, which serves to calibrate their behavioral strategies in a manner that is most likely to be adaptive given their prior experience.

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Agency and the Calibration of Motivated Behavior

Abstract

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