{"id":"https://openalex.org/G2012515705","display_name":"The power of goal-directed processes in the causation of emotional and other actions","description":"People often engage in behavior that is not in their best interest. For instance, they engage in unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, commit action slips such as taking a wrong habitual route, or they become aggressive even when they risk a high cost (e.g., retaliation or ruining a relationship). To make sense of these so-called suboptimal actions, theorists have come up with dual process models that distinguish between (a) a stimulus-driven process, in which a stimulus activates a response based on the person\u2019s prior learning history or innate wiring and (a) a goal-directed process, which compares the values and likelihoods of the outcomes of different action options. Whereas traditional dual process models take suboptimal behavior to be caused by stimulus-driven processes, we propose an alternative model that attributes a more important role to goal-directed processes instead. We identify several reasons for why classic dual process models tend to over- vs. underestimate the role of stimulus-driven vs. goal-directed processes. In the current research proposal, we put forward a series of experiments that challenge traditional dual process models by testing whether seemingly stimulus-driven phenomena might be due to goal-driven processes after all. We do so by using state-of-the-art behavioral (reaction time) and neurological (TMS/MEP) techniques. Support for our alternative model has important implications for behavior change in clinical practice and society.","funder_award_id":"G073317N","funder":{"id":"https://openalex.org/F4320321730","display_name":"Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek","doi":"10.13039/501100003130"},"funded_outputs":["https://openalex.org/W2748747844","https://openalex.org/W2801710816","https://openalex.org/W2804575779","https://openalex.org/W2886327996","https://openalex.org/W2946078312","https://openalex.org/W3005664123","https://openalex.org/W3006087959","https://openalex.org/W3009688984","https://openalex.org/W3015881133","https://openalex.org/W3017244855","https://openalex.org/W3018338017","https://openalex.org/W3091042430","https://openalex.org/W3125055612","https://openalex.org/W3153904683","https://openalex.org/W3156941113","https://openalex.org/W4200080732","https://openalex.org/W4283751431","https://openalex.org/W4289841427","https://openalex.org/W4291786811","https://openalex.org/W4293100215","https://openalex.org/W4294956130","https://openalex.org/W4295993204","https://openalex.org/W4300689328","https://openalex.org/W4308772645","https://openalex.org/W4315752886","https://openalex.org/W4391220687","https://openalex.org/W4398201936"],"funded_outputs_count":27,"parent_awards":[],"sub_awards":[],"sub_awards_count":0,"amount":null,"currency":null,"amount_usd":null,"amount_usd_basis":null,"recipients":[],"recipient_countries":[],"recipient_regions":[],"research_scope":{"is_research":true,"basis":"funder_default","tier":1},"funding_type":"grant","funder_scheme":"FWO research project (including WEAVE projects)","start_date":"2017-01-01","end_date":"2020-12-31","start_year":2017,"end_year":2020,"landing_page_url":"https://researchportal.be/en/project/41d0b5ae-ace3-413b-88be-541e2c2a4b02","doi":null,"provenance":"fwo_fris","lead_investigator":{"given_name":"Agnes","family_name":"Moors","orcid":null,"role_start":null,"affiliation":{"name":"KULeuven","country":"BE","ids":null}},"co_lead_investigator":null,"investigators":null,"works_api_url":"https://api.openalex.org/works?filter=awards.id:G2012515705","primary_topic":null,"topics":null,"institution_awarded":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/I99464096","display_name":"KU Leuven","ror":"https://ror.org/05f950310","country_code":"BE","type":"education","lineage":["https://openalex.org/I99464096"]}],"updated_date":"2026-10-16T03:01:01.000Z","created_date":"2026-07-13T04:54:19.000Z"}