A team at Johns Hopkins University is studying whether a brain region controls the change from deliberate actions to habits. A new study in Nature Communications suggests habits can form faster than scientists previously thought.
Traditional habit experiments used strong rewards and tests at specific times. In those tests, researchers trained animals with a reward and then gave free access until the animals were full. If an animal kept doing the task despite being full, researchers called the behaviour habitual. Kuchibhotla and his team used taste preference instead. Mice had constant access to acidic water so they were not very thirsty, and a sound cue gave a preferred drink. At first the mice acted to get the drink, then many mice suddenly began to respond to the sound.
Brain recordings pointed to a region that may act like a switch. Some mice later returned to goal-directed behaviour after long habit periods. The National Institutes of Health gave the team a new grant to study this controller.
Difficult words
- deliberate — done with careful thought and planning
- habit — action done often without thinkinghabits
- reward — something given for doing a taskrewards
- cue — a sign or sound that starts action
- goal-directed behaviour — actions done to reach a clear aim
- controller — a part that controls or directs something
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Have you ever changed a deliberate action into a habit? Give a short example.
- Do you think one part of the brain can switch habits on and off? Why or why not?
- What kind of reward helps you learn a new task?
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