Learning and decisions making are thought to be directed by multiple parallel cognitive systems. These systems account for automatic, inflexible responding to stimuli, as well as more deliberate, effortful representations of relationships in an environment. It has long been suggested than an imbalance in these cognitive control systems explains the emergence of compulsivity, a trait in which behaviors persist despite adverse outcomes. Compulsivity is a characteristic of a number of psychological disorders, however, current theories of how abnormalities in cognitive systems involved in learning and decision making lead to the onset of these disorders remain incomplete.
