Output \ Actuation
This involves basic muscle movements, often in complex patterns, resulting in more complex automatic behavior like walking, running, using hands and speaking.
Large areas of the brain are associated with the use of hands.
Degree of automation
Behavior can be automatic or not, depending on the extant to which declarative memory is used; the latter class is called executive function, which involves planning, decision, error control. General aspects of cognition which underly this are considered elsewhere.
Duration of executive function
Goal directed effort can be considered short term and specific, or long term. This is the difference between a marathon and a sprint.
Short term executive function
3 components are critical in executive function: working memory, attention, cognitive flexibility. It is mediated by the pre-frontal cortex.
Hindu terminology
manas aka attention. buddhi is other aspects of executive function (working and long-term memory, decision making, prediction, inhibition).
Importance
This is an important measure of general intelligence. It is also economically valuable.
Long term effort
Social encouragement/ approval
Effect of praise
People show a big difference in their future efforts and accomplishment are praised a] for their effort and b] for their ability : the latter class fare worse than they would have otherwise.
People subjected to praise are also more afraid to fail.
Stereotype threat effect
It turns out that when people are in a situation that defies stereotypes, reminding them of the stereotype diminishes their performance. In one study from NYU, students were given a math test. Asking men and women questions about their gender beforehand increased the performance gap substantially.
Weakness in pursuing public goals
IN a phenomenon which has been called ‘substitution’ among other things, we find that people who declare their goal in public tend to be less likely to actually make the effort to achieve the goal. This is because the motivational circuits are fooled into mistaking the high emotions experienced in declaring a goal for the emotions expected when the goal is actually achieved.
Reluctance to quit
The upside of quitting is underestimated. ‘sunk-cost fallacy’ often comes into play. To preserve a story about one self (ie in order to justify the past effort), sometimes one begins to like the unfruitful activity more than before.
Addiction
Addiction is a physical and psychological dependence on psychoactive substances (and possibly behavior). It is characterized by recurring compulsion to engage in the addiction despite -ve consequences (physical, social, cognitive etc..).
Psychological dependence is characterized by lack of impulse control, depression and craving upon abstinence.
Physical dependence is characterized by increased heart rate, blood pressure etc..