Pavlovian-to-instrumental Transfer Effect Research Articles

Transfer from goal-directed behavior to stimulus-response habits and its modulation by acute stress in individuals with risky gaming behavior

Habitual responses towards addiction-related cues play a relevant role in the development and maintenance of addictions. Such automatic responses may be more likely under stress, as stress has been shown to induce a shift from goal-directed to habitual behavior. The current study investigated these mechanisms in risky gaming behavior. Individuals with risky gaming behavior (n = 68), as established by a structured clinical interview, and a matched control group (n = 67) completed a Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer (PIT) paradigm with gaming-related cues and rewards. After the Pavlovian training, participants underwent a stress (Trier Social Stress Test) or control condition before performing the instrumental training and the transfer phase of the PIT paradigm. To assess habitual behavior, the gaming-related rewards were devalued after half of the transfer phase. In both groups, gaming-related cues enhanced the choice of the gaming-related reward and this gaming PIT effect was reduced, however, not eliminated by the devaluation. Unexpectedly, stress did not significantly increase responding for the gaming-related reward in participants aware of the stimulus-outcome associations, however seemed to enhance habitual responding in unaware participants. Our findings underline the relevance of gaming-related cues in triggering habitual responses, which may undermine attempts to change a problematic gaming behavior.

Enhanced Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer in internet gaming disorder

The Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) effect is a phenomenon that Pavlovian conditioned cues that could influence one's instrumental behavior. In several substance and behavioral addictions, such as tobacco use disorder and gambling disorder, addiction-related cues could promote independently trained instrumental drug-seeking/drug-taking behaviors, indicating a specific PIT effect. However, it is unclear whether Internet gaming disorder (IGD) would show a similar change in PIT effects as other addictions. The study aimed to explore the specific PIT effects in IGD. We administrated a PIT task to individuals with IGD (n = 40) and matched health controls (HCs, n=50), and compared the magnitude of specific PIT effects between the two groups. The severity of the IGD symptoms was assessed by the Chinese version 9-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale (IGDS) and the Internet Addiction Test (IAT). We found that: (1) related to the HCs group, the IGD group showed enhanced specific PITgame effects, where gaming-related cues lead to an increased choice rate of gaming-related responses; (2) in the IGD group, the magnitude of specific PITgame effects were positively correlated with IAT scores (rho = 0.39, p = 0.014). Individualswith IGD showed enhanced specific PIT effects related to HCs, which were associated with the severity of addictive symptoms. Our results highlighted the incentive salience of gaming-related cues in IGD.

Effects of a brief mindfulness meditation practice on Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer in alcohol use disorder - a pilot study.

Pavlovian conditioned contextual cues have been suggested to modulate instrumental action and might explain maladaptive behavior such as relapse in participants suffering from alcohol use disorder (AUD). Pavlovian-to-Instrumental transfer (PIT) experimentally assesses the magnitude of this context-dependent effect and studies have shown a larger PIT effect in AUD populations. Taken this into account, a reduction of the influence of cues on behavior seems warranted and one approach that could alter such cue reactivity is mindfulness. Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to be efficient in the treatment of AUD, but underlying mechanisms are yet to be elucidated. Therefore, we aim at investigating the effect of a brief mindful body scan meditation on the magnitude of the PIT effect in AUD subjects and matched controls. Using a randomized within-subjects design, we compared the effect of a short audio guided body scan meditation against a control condition (audio of nature sounds) on PIT in healthy (n = 35) and AUD (n = 27) participants. We found no differences in PIT effect between healthy and AUD participants as well as between conditions. However, a significant interaction effect points to a decreased PIT effect after body scan meditation in AUD subjects only. These pilot results suggest that AUD might be susceptible to mindfulness-induced changes in PIT, with these findings contributing to entangling the underlying mechanisms of the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions in AUD. However, further investigation should confirm these preliminary results and the efficacy of mindfulness meditation practice in decreasing the PIT effect.

Mechanisms underlying performance in a cued go/no-go Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer paradigm

Environmental cues that remind us of rewarding outcomes (drugs, food) play a significant role in addiction relapse. In the lab the Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) task has been used to formally examine how cues associated with reward or punishment can bias ongoing instrumental responding. Using a version of this paradigm that integrates PIT with a go/no-go task many studies have related stronger PIT effects (with non-drug rewards) to problematic alcohol use including risky alcohol users relative to non-risky drinkers, individuals with alcohol dependence versus healthy controls and individuals in recovery from alcohol use disorder who are more likely to relapse. However the theoretical importance of these findings and the implications for models of addiction was previously not clear. Understanding if this task indexes the general motivating effects of reward cues on instrumental responding (and whether this is sensitive to shifts in motivation for those outcomes) is critical for understanding these previous results within the context of addiction. Thus, in the current study we aimed to delineate the associative mechanisms that drive the stimulus effects observed in this PIT task. Specifically, we wished to examine whether the cueing effects observed in the cued-go/no-go task were selective in their effect on action, insofar as Pavlovian cues specifically invigorated (or suppressed) responding only if they were associated with congruent outcomes. We conclude that the PIT measured with this task is general in nature. Surprisingly however, the biasing effects of Pavlovian cues on instrumental responding did not appear to be sensitive to outcome devaluation.

Susceptibility to interference between Pavlovian and instrumental control predisposes risky alcohol use developmental trajectory from ages 18 to 24.

Pavlovian cues can influence ongoing instrumental behaviour via Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) processes. While appetitive Pavlovian cues tend to promote instrumental approach, they are detrimental when avoidance behaviour is required, and vice versa for aversive cues. We recently reported that susceptibility to interference between Pavlovian and instrumental control assessed via a PIT task was associated with risky alcohol use at age 18. We now investigated whether such susceptibility also predicts drinking trajectories until age 24, based on AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) consumption and binge drinking (gramme alcohol/drinking occasion) scores. The interference PIT effect, assessed at ages 18 and 21 during fMRI, was characterized by increased error rates (ER) and enhanced neural responses in the ventral striatum (VS), the lateral and dorsomedial prefrontal cortices (dmPFC) during conflict, that is, when an instrumental approach was required in the presence of an aversive Pavlovian cue or vice versa. We found that a stronger VS response during conflict at age 18 was associated with a higher starting point of both drinking trajectories but predicted a decrease in binge drinking. At age 21, high ER and enhanced neural responses in the dmPFC were associated with increasing AUDIT-C scores over the next 3 years until age 24. Overall, susceptibility to interference between Pavlovian and instrumental control might be viewed as a predisposing mechanism towards hazardous alcohol use during young adulthood, and the identified high-risk group may profit from targeted interventions.

Environmental control of social goals: using Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer to test cue-based pro-self and pro-social outcome responses.

A large amount of literature demonstrates that social behaviour can be triggered by environmental cues. A long-standing debate involves the question of whether such stimuli trigger behaviour directly (i.e. habits) or whether these effects mediate goals. As studies on automatic goal pursuit typically use real-world cues that are already associated with the behaviour and potentially the goal, it is impossible to make strong claims about the nature of the effects. In the present paper, we use a paradigm inspired by the Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) literature to examine how the environment can trigger goal-directed behaviour. Building on the essence of pro-self and pro-social motives in humans, two experiments explored the PIT effect when the outcomes were framed in terms of self- versus other-interest. Participants performed actions to earn money for themselves or a charity. Each outcome was linked to a different cue. The results showed that a cue predictive of self-interest outcomes facilitated responses instrumental in gaining the outcome, while such specific PIT effect for other-interest outcomes only emerged when participants were free to donate the money. We briefly discuss these findings reflecting on whether the PIT effect in our paradigm is indeed sensitive to the value of social goals.

Automatic Approach Behaviors in Alcohol Dependence: Does a Cognitive Bias Modification Training Affect Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer Effects?

Introduction: Positively conditioned Pavlovian cues tend to promote approach and negative cues promote withdrawal in a Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) paradigm, and the strength of this PIT effect was associated with the subsequent relapse risk in alcohol-dependent (AD) patients. When investigating the effect of alcohol-related background cues, instrumental approach behavior was inhibited in subsequent abstainers but not relapsers. An automatic approach bias towards alcohol can be modified using a cognitive bias modification (CBM) intervention, which has previously been shown to reduce the relapse risk in AD patients. Here we examined the effects of such CBM training on PIT effects and explored its effect on the relapse risk in detoxified AD patients. Methods: N = 81 recently detoxified AD patients performed non-drug-related and drug-related PIT tasks before and after CBM versus placebo training. In addition, an alcohol approach/avoidance task (aAAT) was performed before and after the training to assess the alcohol approach bias. Patients were followed up for 6 months. Results: A stronger alcohol approach bias as well as a stronger non-drug-related PIT effect predicted relapse status in AD patients. No significant difference regarding relapse status or the number of heavy drinking days was found when comparing the CBM training group versus the placebo group. Moreover, there was no significant modulation effect of CBM training on any PIT effect or the aAAT. Conclusion: A higher alcohol approach bias in the aAAT and a stronger non-drug-related PIT effect both predicted relapse in AD patients, while treatment outcome was not associated with the drug-related PIT effect. Unlike expected, CBM training did not significantly interact with the non-drug-related or the drug-related PIT effects or the alcohol approach bias.

Development of Novel Tasks to Assess Outcome-Specific and General Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer in Humans

Introduction: The emergence of Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) research in the human neurobehavioral domain has been met with increased interest over the past two decades. A variety of PIT tasks were developed during this time; while successful in demonstrating transfer phenomena, existing tasks have limitations that should be addressed. Herein, we introduce two PIT paradigms designed to assess outcome-specific and general PIT within the context of addiction. Materials and Methods: The single-lever PIT task, based on an established paradigm, replaced button presses with joystick motion to better assess avoidance behavior. The full transfer task uses alcohol and nonalcohol rewards associated with Pavlovian cues and instrumental responses, along with other gustatory and monetary rewards. We constructed mixed-effects models with the addition of other statistical analyses as needed to interpret various behavioral measures. Results: Single-lever PIT: both versions were successful in eliciting a PIT effect (joystick: p < 0.001, η_p² = 0.36, button-box: p < 0.001, η_p² = 0.30). Full transfer task: it was determined that the alcohol and nonalcoholic reward cues selectively primed their respective reward-associated responses (gustatory version: p < 0.001, r = 0.59, and monetary version: p < 0.001, r = 0.84). The appetitive/aversive cues resulted in a general transfer effect (gustatory: p < 0.001, η_p² = 0.09, and monetary: p < 0.001, η_p² = 0.17). Discussion/Conclusion: Single-lever PIT: PIT was observed in both task versions. We posit that the use of a joystick is more advantageous for the analysis of avoidance behavior. It evenly distributes movement between approach and avoid trials, which is relevant to analyzing fMRI data. Full transfer task: While gustatory conditioning has been used in the past to elicit transfer effects, we present the first paradigm that successfully elicits both specific and general transfers in humans with gustatory alcohol rewards.

Outcome devaluation by specific satiety disrupts sensory-specific Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer.

Reward predictive cues can selectively motivate instrumental behaviors that predict the same rewarding outcomes, an effect known as specific Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT). This selective effect is thought to be mediated by a representation of the sensory specific properties of an outcome, that has become associated with both the Pavlovian cue and the instrumental response during initial learning. Specific satiety is a common method of outcome devaluation that reduces an outcome's value but might also lead to the habituation of the outcome's sensory properties. Previous research has demonstrated that specific PIT is insensitive to changes in specific outcome value following taste aversion devaluation, as well as general satiety manipulations, and therefore specific satiety should not disrupt specific PIT by reducing outcome value. The present rodent experiments used a specific satiety devaluation procedure immediately prior to a specific PIT test to show that habituation of these outcome specific sensory representations can disrupt its efficacy as a stimulus and abolish the specific PIT effect. Experiment 1 employed a two-lever choice test to show that a non-devalued stimulus supports specific PIT, whereas a devalued stimulus abolished the specific PIT effect. Experiment 2 replicated this procedure while controlling for response competition by using a single-lever test to confirm that a devalued stimulus abolishes the specific PIT effect. These findings demonstrate that specific satiety can disrupt the ability of an outcome specific representation to support specific PIT. Given previous findings that specific PIT is insensitive to changes in outcome value by general satiety and taste aversion devaluation, this suggests that specific satiety devaluation might disrupt the use of sensory specific outcome representations to guide behavior via a mechanism that is independent of the outcome's current value.

Persistent effects of acute trauma on Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer.

In humans, an acutely traumatic experience can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is often characterized by changes in anxiety and motivation months after trauma. There are few demonstrations of the persistent motivational effects of an acute stressor in rodent approaches to PTSD. In two experiments, we evaluated the persistent effects of a battery of footshocks in one context on appetitive Pavlovian conditioning, instrumental learning, and Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) in a different context. In Experiment 1, a battery of footshocks before appetitive training caused deficits in single-outcome PIT (SO-PIT) in male Long Evans rats. The same battery of footshocks after appetitive training, but before testing had little effect on SO-PIT overall, but there were some deficits in within-stimulus expression of SO-PIT. In Experiment 2, the battery of footshocks had no effect on sensory-specific PIT in male or female rats, but two sex differences emerged: males showed more generalized fear from the aversive to the appetitive context compared to females, and females showed less evidence for sensory-specific PIT compared to males. Males showed robust sensory-specific PIT, with clear extinction and spontaneous recovery of the sensory-specific PIT effect across test sessions. These findings show that (a) an acute trauma can have persistent effects on general motivational processes and (b) in sensory-specific PIT, females may show transfer through generalized motivational processes, whereas males may rely on specific features of the cues and outcomes to augment instrumental responding selectively. We discuss implications for current approaches to stress and motivation in preclinical approaches to PTSD.

The Association of Non–Drug-Related Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer Effect in Nucleus Accumbens With Relapse in Alcohol Dependence: A Replication

BackgroundThe Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) paradigm measures the effects of Pavlovian conditioned cues on instrumental behavior in the laboratory. A previous study conducted by our research group observed activity in the left nucleus accumbens (NAcc) elicited by a non–drug-related PIT task across patients with alcohol dependence (AD) and healthy control subjects, and the left NAcc PIT effect differentiated patients who subsequently relapsed from those who remained abstinent. In this study, we aimed to examine whether such effects were present in a larger sample collected at a later date. MethodsA total of 129 recently detoxified patients with AD (21 females) and 74 healthy, age- and gender-matched control subjects (12 females) performing a PIT task during functional magnetic resonance imaging were examined. After task assessments, patients were followed for 6 months. Forty-seven patients relapsed and 37 remained abstinent. ResultsWe found a significant behavioral non–drug-related PIT effect and PIT-related activity in the NAcc across all participants. Moreover, subsequent relapsers showed stronger behavioral and left NAcc PIT effects than abstainers. These findings are consistent with our previous findings. ConclusionsBehavioral non–drug-related PIT and neural PIT correlates are associated with prospective relapse risk in AD. This study replicated previous findings and provides evidence for the clinical relevance of PIT mechanisms to treatment outcome in AD. The observed difference between prospective relapsers and abstainers in the NAcc PIT effect in our study is small overall. Future studies are needed to further elucidate the mechanisms and the possible modulators of neural PIT in relapse in AD.

Effective Connectivity during an Avoidance-Based Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer Task.

Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) refers to a phenomenon whereby a classically conditioned stimulus (CS) impacts the motivational salience of instrumental behavior. We examined behavioral response patterns and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) based effective connectivity during an avoidance-based PIT task. Eleven participants (8 females; Mage = 28.2, SD = 2.8, range = 25–32 years) completed the task. Effective connectivity between a priori brain regions engaged during the task was determined using hemodynamic response function group iterative multiple model estimation (HRF-GIMME). Participants exhibited behavior that was suggestive of specific PIT, a CS previously associated with a reinforcing outcome increased instrumental responding directed at the same outcome. We did not find evidence for general PIT; a CS did not significantly increase instrumental responding towards a different but related outcome. Using HRF-GIMME, we recovered effective connectivity maps among corticostriatal circuits engaged during the task. Group-level paths revealed directional effects from left putamen to right insula and from right putamen to right cingulate. Importantly, a direct effect of specific PIT stimuli on blood–oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) activity in the left putamen was found. Results provide initial evidence of effective connectivity in key brain regions in an avoidance-based PIT task network. This study adds to the literature studying PIT effects in humans and employing GIMME models to understand how psychological phenomena are supported in the brain.

Helpless against food cues: the influence of pro- and anti-sugar videos on instrumental food-seeking behaviour in a Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer paradigm

Objective External food cues can trigger food seeking by means of associative Stimulus-Outcome-Response learning mechanisms. These mechanisms can contribute to cued overeating. The present study aims at investigating if (cued) food-seeking behaviour can be influenced by pro- and anti-sugar videos. Design Participants (N = 81) completed a Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) task: in an instrumental training, they learned associations between button presses and resulting sugary or sugar-free snacks. In a subsequent Pavlovian training, the snacks were paired with different cues. During the following transfer test, participants performed free button presses to win snacks while the cues were present or not. Main outcome measures The number of button presses for the different snacks in the transfer test was analysed. Results We observed an outcome specific PIT effect, i.e. higher response rates for cued snacks. The videos did not affect the PIT effect. However, exploratory analyses revealed that the anti-sugar video led to fewer button presses for sugary snacks (compared to the pro-sugar video). Conclusion While snack-seeking behaviour was unaffected by the video’s messages in the presence of food cues, in the absence of food cues there was evidence for a reduction of sugary snack choices by the anti-sugar video.

Association of the OPRM1 A118G polymorphism and Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer: Clinical relevance for alcohol dependence.

Background:Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) quantifies the extent to which a stimulus that has been associated with reward or punishment alters operant behaviour. In alcohol dependence (AD), the PIT effect serves as a paradigmatic model of cue-induced relapse. Preclinical studies have suggested a critical role of the opioid system in modulating Pavlovian–instrumental interactions. The A118G polymorphism of the OPRM1 gene affects opioid receptor availability and function. Furthermore, this polymorphism interacts with cue-induced approach behaviour and is a potential biomarker for pharmacological treatment response in AD. In this study, we tested whether the OPRM1 polymorphism is associated with the PIT effect and relapse in AD.Methods:Using a PIT task, we examined three independent samples: young healthy subjects (N = 161), detoxified alcohol-dependent patients (N = 186) and age-matched healthy controls (N = 105). We used data from a larger study designed to assess the role of learning mechanisms in the development and maintenance of AD. Subjects were genotyped for the A118G (rs1799971) polymorphism of the OPRM1 gene. Relapse was assessed after three months.Results:In all three samples, participants with the minor OPRM1 G-Allele (G+ carriers) showed increased expression of the PIT effect in the absence of learning differences. Relapse was not associated with the OPRM1 polymorphism. Instead, G+ carriers displaying increased PIT effects were particularly prone to relapse.Conclusion:These results support a role for the opioid system in incentive salience motivation. Furthermore, they inform a mechanistic model of aberrant salience processing and are in line with the pharmacological potential of opioid receptor targets in the treatment of AD.

Susceptibility to interference between Pavlovian and instrumental control is associated with early hazardous alcohol use.

Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) tasks examine the influence of Pavlovian stimuli on ongoing instrumental behaviour. Previous studies reported associations between a strong PIT effect, high-risk drinking and alcohol use disorder. This study investigated whether susceptibility to interference between Pavlovian and instrumental control is linked to risky alcohol use in a community sample of 18-year-old male adults. Participants (N=191) were instructed to 'collect good shells' and 'leave bad shells' during the presentation of appetitive (monetary reward), aversive (monetary loss) or neutral Pavlovian stimuli. We compared instrumental error rates (ER) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain responses between the congruent and incongruent conditions, as well as among high-risk and low-risk drinking groups. On average, individuals showed a substantial PIT effect, that is, increased ER when Pavlovian cues and instrumental stimuli were in conflict compared with congruent trials. Neural PIT correlates were found in the ventral striatum and the dorsomedial and lateral prefrontal cortices (lPFC). Importantly, high-risk drinking was associated with a stronger behavioural PIT effect, a decreased lPFC response and an increased neural response in the ventral striatum on the trend level. Moreover, high-risk drinkers showed weaker connectivity from the ventral striatum to the lPFC during incongruent trials. Our study links interference during PIT to drinking behaviour in healthy, young adults. High-risk drinkers showed higher susceptibility to Pavlovian cues, especially when they conflicted with instrumental behaviour, indicating lower interference control abilities. Increased activity in the ventral striatum (bottom-up), decreased lPFC response (top-down), and their altered interplay may contribute to poor interference control in the high-risk drinkers.

Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer in subclinical obsessive–compulsive disorder

Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) refers to the effect of stimuli that have been associated with a pleasant or aversive event on instrumental behaviors. Given that obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is linked to excessive compulsions, which in the laboratory can be tested via testing instrumental responses, we assessed PIT effects in individuals with subclinical levels of OCD. Participants from a nonclinical population were separated in groups with low (OC−) and high (OC+) levels of OCD. Participants learned to associate one button press ( R1) with the cancellation of an aversive outcome ( O1) and another button press ( R2) with the cancellation of another aversive outcome ( O2). Subsequently, they watched stimuli of five different colors ( S1– S5) that were followed by O1, O2, a novel negative outcome ( O3: video of a house on fire), or two neutral outcomes ( O4: plus sign; O5: caret symbol), respectively. In the last phase, participants saw S1– S5 while they were allowed to press the R1 or the R2 button. Contrary to predictions, the OC− compared to OC+ group showed somewhat stronger specific PIT effects, indicated by more R1 and R2 responses during the presentation of the S1 and S2, respectively. No reliable evidence was found for general PIT.

Intact corticostriatal control of goal-directed action in Alcohol Use Disorder: a Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer and outcome-devaluation study

Deficits in instrumental, goal-directed control, combined with the influence of drug-associated Pavlovian-conditioned stimuli, are thought to influence the development and maintenance of addiction. However, direct evidence has mainly come from animal studies. We sought to establish whether alcohol use disorder (AUD) is characterized by behavioral or neurobiological deficits in (i) the integration of Pavlovian and instrumental values and (ii) goal-directed control; and (iii) whether duration or severity of AUD is associated with such deficits. The influence of cues predicting food rewards on instrumental action was assessed in a Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) test, measuring both specific and general PIT, and goal-directed behavior in an outcome-devaluation test. Brain activity was measured using functional MRI in 38 abstinent individuals with AUD and 22 matched healthy control individuals (HCs). We found significant specific and general PIT and outcome-devaluation effects across groups indicating goal-directed control, mediated by distinct corticostriatal signals, but no significant differences between individuals with AUD and healthy controls. Bayesian analyses provided substantial-to-strong evidence for the absence of group differences for these effects, or any relationship with duration or severity of AUD. These results suggest intact ability to integrate action-outcome associations on specific and general PIT and goal-directed learning in AUD during abstinence.

An Adaptation of Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer (PIT) Methodology to Examine the Energizing Effects of Reward-Predicting Cues on Behavior in Young Adults.

There is growing recognition that much of human behavior is governed by the presence of classically conditioned cues. The Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer (PIT) paradigm offers a way to measure the effects of classically conditioned stimuli on behavior. In the current study, a novel behavioral task, an adaptation of the PIT framework, was developed for use in conjunction with an fMRI classical conditioning task. Twenty-four healthy young adults completed (1) instrumental training, (2) Pavlovian conditioning, and (3) a Transfer test. During instrumental training, participants learned to apply force to a handgrip to win money from slot machines pictured on a computer screen. During Pavlovian conditioning, slot machines appeared with one of two abstract symbols (cues), one symbol was predictive of monetary reward. During the Transfer test, participants again applied force to a handgrip to win money. This time, the slot machines were presented with the Pavlovian cues, but with the outcomes hidden. The results indicated increased effort on the instrumental task, i.e. higher response frequency and greater force, in the presence of the reward-predicting cue. Our findings add to the growing number of studies demonstrating PIT effects in humans. This new paradigm is effective in measuring the effects of a conditioned stimulus on behavioral activation.

Human appetitive Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer: a goal-directed account.

Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) tasks assess the impact of environmental stimuli on instrumental actions. Since their initial translation from animal to human experiments, PIT tasks have provided insight into the mechanisms that underlie reward-based behaviour. This review first examines the main types of PIT tasks used in humans. We then seek to contribute to the current debate as to whether human PIT effects reflect a controlled, goal-directed process, or a more automatic, non-goal-directed mechanism. We argue that the data favour a goal-directed process. The extent to which the major theories of PIT can account for these data is then explored. We discuss a number of associative accounts of PIT as well as dual-process versions of these theories. Ultimately, however, we favour a propositional account, in which human PIT effects are suggested to be driven by both perceived outcome availability and outcome value. In the final section of the review, we present the potential objections to the propositional approach that we anticipate from advocates of associative link theories and our response to them. We also identify areas for future research.

Affect-driven impulsivity impairs human action control and selection, as measured through Pavlovian instrumental transfer and outcome devaluation.

Two experiments were designed to study the role of emotional impulsiveness in action control and selection, involving healthy young women participants. In Experiment 1, the effects of both outcome devaluation and Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) were assessed on instrumental responding. In Experiment 2, we further explored the effect of outcome devaluation on outcome-specific PIT. The role of emotional impulsivity, specifically negative urgency (NU), was also evaluated in both experiments using a self-reported measure (UPPS-P scale, Spanish short version). Experiment 1 showed both outcome devaluation and outcome-specific PIT effects, which were positively inter-correlated and negatively correlated with scores in NU. Experiment 2 found an effect of outcome devaluation on outcome-specific PIT, which was negatively correlated with scores on NU. These results highlight the relevance of considering individual differences in affect-driven impulsivity, specifically NU, when addressing failures in action control and selection (proneness to habit). Moreover, these findings suggest that, at least with the procedure used in these experiments, outcome-specific PIT may be based on a goal-directed process that is under the participant's control.