Human goal-directed behavior is resistant to interventions on the action-outcome contingency

Abstract

Goal-directed actions are those performed with the expectation of producing a specific outcome and are therefore sensitive to changes in the outcomes current value without re-experiencing the action-outcome contingency. Disrupting the action-outcome association by a number of interventions can reduce responding, but whether such interventions also affect the goal-directedness of human responses remains unknown. We trained participants to perform different actions for two distinct outcomes in two groups. One group experienced extinction (i.e., complete suspension of outcome delivery for a specific previously rewarded action) whereas the other was given non-contingent training (i.e., outcomes were presented independently of responding). Goal-directed control was tested by outcome devaluation, making one of the two outcomes less desirable, and responding was then tested in the absence of outcome presentations. Despite having been significantly reduced in both groups by extinction and non-contingent training, responding remained sensitive to outcome value, suggesting that human goal-directed behavior is resistant to action-outcome contingency interventions. We discuss these results in light of recent theories of goal-directed behavior.