title: Chronic motivational state interacts with task reward structure in dynamic decision-making.
abstract: Research distinguishes between a habitual, model-free system motivated toward immediately rewarding actions, and a goal-directed, model-based system motivated toward actions that improve future state. We examined the balance of processing in these two systems during state-based decision-making. We tested a regulatory fit hypothesis (Maddox & Markman, 2010) that predicts that global trait motivation affects the balance of habitual- vs. goal-directed processing but only through its interaction with the task framing as gain-maximization or loss-minimization. We found support for the hypothesis that a match between an individual's chronic motivational state and the task framing enhances goal-directed processing, and thus state-based decision-making. Specifically, chronic promotion-focused individuals under gain-maximization and chronic prevention-focused individuals under loss-minimization both showed enhanced state-based decision-making. Computational modeling indicates that individuals in a match between global chronic motivational state and local task reward structure engaged more goal-directed processing, whereas those in a mismatch engaged more habitual processing.
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychology, 108 E. Dean Keeton, A8000, Austin, TX 78712, United States. Electronic address: jessica.cooper@utexas.edu.
authors.forename: Jessica A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.affiliation: Texas A&M University, Department of Psychology, 4235 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, United States. Electronic address: worthyda@tamu.edu.
authors.forename: Darrell A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Worthy
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychology, 108 E. Dean Keeton, A8000, Austin, TX 78712, United States. Electronic address: maddox@psy.utexas.edu.
authors.forename: W Todd
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Maddox
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D055641:Mathematical Concepts; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D012201:Reward; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Decision-making; Motivation; Regulatory fit; Regulatory focus; Reward