ArticleScientific reports2021
Overcoming Pavlovian bias in semantic space.
Article in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Impaired midfrontal‑motor theta phase synchronization characterizes maladaptive motivational behavior in people with obsessive‑compulsive disorder.PLoS biology · 2026Article
- Emotional cues reduce Pavlovian interference in feedback-based go and nogo learning.Psychological research · 2024Article
- The neurocognitive role of working memory load when Pavlovian motivational control affects instrumental learning.PLoS computational biology · 2023Article
- Motivational learning biases are differentially modulated by genetic determinants of striatal and prefrontal dopamine function.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2021Article
- Plastic brain mechanisms supporting reduction in cravings induced by response training.Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Action is invigorated in the presence of reward-predicting stimuli and inhibited in the presence of punishment-predicting stimuli. Although valuable as a heuristic, this Pavlovian bias can also lead to maladaptive behaviour and is implicated in addiction. Here we explore whether Pavlovian bias can be overcome through training. Across five experiments, we find that Pavlovian bias is resistant to unlearning under most task configurations. However, we demonstrate that when subjects engage in instrumental learning in a verbal semantic space, as opposed to a motoric space, not only do they exhibit the typical Pavlovian bias, but this Pavlovian bias diminishes with training. Our results suggest that learning within the semantic space is necessary, but not sufficient, for subjects to unlearn their Pavlovian bias, and that other task features, such as gamification and spaced stimulus presentation may also be necessary. In summary, we show that Pavlovian bias, whilst robust, is susceptible to change with experience, but only under specific environmental conditions.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.