The Activation of Habits

Abstract

This paper presents data from three sets of experiments on simple runway and barpress performance by the rat. The results are interpreted as offering support for the hypothesis that the response-specific associative and activating components of motivated behavior are independently manipulable, and that it is essentially a decrement in the activating component which accounts for the decrement in performance typically shown in extinction. The implications of this view, especially for a reconceptualization of the habit construct, are outlined. Although the research here reported is concerned with extinction, where the separability of the two components is most readily demonstrated, the hypothesis also necessarily pertains to acquisition. It holds that during acquisition of an instrumental appetitive response an organism not only learns how to respond but also develops a motivation to respond. Research is now underway on the determinants of the acquisition of this activating component. Definitive statements are not yet feasible but it may be hoped that data on the acquisition process complementary to those reported for extinction will eventually provide a more satisfactory account of the learning-motivation interaction than is at present available in the orthodox learning theories.