The Comparative Psychology of Goal-Directed Action and Future Planning

(or “Reflections on the Castaway’s Dilemma”)

Anthony Dickinson

University of Cambridge

In comparative psychology a distinction is drawn between two forms of prospective behavior, goal-directed behavior and future planning, in terms of the motivational relevance of the goal or outcome of the behavior. Goal-directed behavior is relevant to the current motivational state, whereas future planning refers to action taken in the service of future needs. Goal-directed action is distinguished from habitual behavior by its sensitivity to the current incentive value of the goal as assessed by the outcome revaluation procedure. A variety of evidence using this procedure suggests that common processes mediate goal-directed action in humans and other animals. Moreover, although it has been claimed that the capacity for future planning is uniquely human, studies of the avian food-caching paradigm suggests that other animals are also capable of acting in the service of future needs, possibly through a process of mental time travel.