Going for It: The Economics of Automaticity in Perception and Action Academic Article

abstract

• What we pay attention to is influenced by reward learning. Previously reward-associated stimuli are difficult to ignore, automatically drawing our attention even when we know they are no longer beneficial to us. Recent research has suggested that these value-dependent attentional biases affect more than just perception, biasing an individual to act in such a way as to pursue the attended stimulus. Here, I review this evidence and argue for a direct link between attentional biases and shifts in action-related priorities. Given this link, abnormal or otherwise inappropriate reward-related attentional biases are hypothesized to contribute to undesired habits and poor economic choices.

authors

• Anderson, Brian

published proceedings

• CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE

author list (cited authors)

• Anderson, B. A.

citation count

• 23

complete list of authors

• Anderson, Brian A

publication date

• April 2017

publisher

• SAGE Publications  Publisher

published in

• Current Directions in Psychological Science  Journal

keywords

• Automaticity
• Decision Making
• Distraction
• Reward
• Selective Attention

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1177/0963721416686181

start page

• 140

end page

• 145

volume

• 26

issue

• 2

URL

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0963721416686181