Topic: reward contingencies

Since its initial conceptualization by Edward Tolman, cognitive maps – i.e., task-derived internal representations of an environment – have been found in multiple brain regions. In mammalian brains, the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) can produce a flexible cognitive map underpinning model-based learning. Recent results have shown that this function is compatible with the canonical value-encoding role ascribed to OFC, whereby this region guides decision-making by providing a representation of reward. Hence, recent theories have suggested that the OFC integrates activity from other brain regions and

Flexibility to changing environments is vital for survival and daily functioning. Impaired flexibility is a feature of many pathological conditions, including obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia, which result in a dissociation between actions and goals. The prevailing theory is that goal-directed actions support flexible behaviour, and impaired flexibility results from habit formation due to extended training, also called overtraining, whereby responding becomes less dependent on outcome value (e.g., compulsive responding).This dual-system theory suggests that overtraining results