The ability to establish behaviorally what psychological capacity an animal is deploying-to discern accurately what an animal is doing-is key to functional analyses of the brain. Our current understanding of these capacities suggests, however, that this task is complex; there is evidence that multiple capacities are engaged simultaneously and contribute independently to the control of behavior. As such, establishing the contribution of a cell, circuit, or neural system to any one function requires careful dissection of that role from its influence on other functions and, therefore, the careful selection and design of behavioral tasks fit for that purpose. Here I describe recent research that has sought to utilize behavioral tools to investigate the neural bases of instrumental conditioning, particularly the circuits and systems supporting the capacity for goal-directed action, as opposed to conditioned reflexes and habits, and how these sources of action control interact to generate adaptive behavior.
The Meaning of Behavior: Discriminating Reflex and Volition in the Brain.
Published 2019 in Neuron
ABSTRACT
PUBLICATION RECORD
- Publication year
2019
- Venue
Neuron
- Publication date
2019-10-01
- Fields of study
Biology, Medicine, Computer Science, Psychology
- Identifiers
- External record
- Source metadata
Semantic Scholar, PubMed
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