Neural Dynamics Underlying Coordination between Training-Induced
Habitual and Goal-Directed Behavior
Abstract
Understanding the neurocognitive mechanisms of the coordination of
habitual and goal-directed behaviors is particularly important, as
impaired coordination will cause various behavioral disorders. However,
inducing habitual responses in human beings through repetitive
stimuli-response training in a laboratory setting is a challenge.
Well-trained sports experts, who have automatic perception-action
associations towards expertise-related stimuli, provide a natural sample
to address this critical knowledge gap. We used scalp
electroencephalogram (EEG) to record the brain activity of well-trained
sports experts when they performed a Simon task using expertise-related
stimuli. By manipulating the congruency between the location of
expertise-related stimuli and the response hand, we dissociated
automatic habitual response and goal-directed inhibition control. We
observed a stronger congruency effect on expertise-related stimuli than
neutral stimuli. Particularly, sports experts exhibited larger
response-locked lateralized readiness potentials (LRP) and stronger
frontocentral beta band (15-25Hz) activity in the congruent condition
than the incongruent condition, which indicate an enhanced automatic
habitual response tendency towards expertise-related stimuli. In
contrast, prominent mid-frontal theta (3-7Hz) activity observed in the
incongruent condition signaled the involvement of inhibition control.
Moreover, the response-locked lateralized readiness potential (LRP)
amplitude and theta power showed significant behavioral relevance to
performance efficiency. Taken together, these results suggest that
sports experts exhibit an enhanced coordination process towards
expertise-related stimuli, with automatic response preparation and
proficient response inhibition through extensive training.