Apathy

‘Auto-activation’ deficit, the most severe form of apathy, is a model to approach apathy. Auto-activation deficit consists of a severe reduction in self-initiated actions contrasting with the sparing of externally driven ones under strong solicitations and the presence of automatic (stereotypic) behaviour. This severe apathy can be viewed as the consequence of a quantitative reduction of goal-directed behaviour. Auto-activation deficit is due to lesions in the prefrontal cortex (PFC)–basal ganglia circuitry, the brain system that generates and controls goal-directed behaviour. In this chapter it is proposed that several different mechanisms may be responsible for apathy. Damage to three PFC–basal ganglia circuits may explain most of the cases of apathy: (i) lesions in the orbital and ventromedial PFC–basal ganglia circuit lead to apathy through difficulties in evaluating the affective value of a given behavioural context (‘amotivation’); (ii) lesions in the lateral PFC–basal ganglia circuit contribute to apathy via an inability to generate or activate strategies required to successfully complete a given programme of actions (‘cognitive inertia’); (iii) lesions to the anterior cingulate cortex–basal ganglia circuit (located in an intermediary anatomical position between the ventral and lateral circuit) may lead to apathy via an inability to transfer the affective value of a given context (‘invigoration deficit’); (iv) the summation or the synergy of damage to these three circuits within the basal ganglia may lead to a frank decrease in the amplification of signals representing goal-directed behaviour that reach the PFC (‘empty mind’); and (v) if all three circuits are structurally intact, apathy may nevertheless occur via alterations of neurotransmission systems that modulate the activity of these circuits (i.e. dopamine, serotonin, and acetylcholine).

Cognitive Inertia: How Loops Among Attention, Representation, and Decision Making Distort Reality

The decisions we make in our everyday lives often require us to navigate through a barrage of information, so that we can base our decisions only on information that is relevant to our goals. Selectively attending only to goal-relevant dimensions of information can help us efficiently navigate this barrage of information, but can also lead us into ``traps" where we fail to learn which information is most relevant, or fail to notice information that becomes relevant later in time. Here, we investigate the dynamic interactions between attention, learning, and memory that unfold as learners seek to identify dimensions of information that will help them make consistently accurate decisions. Using a multi-pronged approach, we identify the cyclical links between decision making, attention, and representation that best explain human category learning. We then show how the structure of these relationships paradoxically causes both accelerated learning and leads learners into different types of learning traps.

Psychological change strategies for neutralizing cognitive inertia

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings This research paper explores how digital reverse mentoring helped to overcome cognitive inertia in traditional industry top management teams (TMT) that lacked technology skills. The marked transformation of the Indian firm's digital capability arrived through challenging the TMT's ingrained hierarchy-based norms. Effective knowledge transfer was achieved once these sticky power barriers to participation were neutralized. Subsequently, numerous digital initiatives worth millions of dollars in value were designed and implemented. It was personal knowledge of technology – rather than explicit codified knowledge – that powered these digital solutions. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Inertia Stages and Tourists' Behavior

This article integrates the concept of inertia into a tourism context to understand how repeat visitors act and make revisit decisions. Moderating effect of zone of tolerance (ZOT), switching barriers (SWI) and external opportunity (OPP) on the sequential development of inertial behavior was analyzed through 518 tourists. Findings confirm that cognitive inertia (COGI) and affective inertia (AFFI) are significantly and positively related to conative inertia (CONI), while conative inertia also has a direct effect on determining action inertia (ACTI). The tests of moderating effects of zone of tolerance, switching barriers and external opportunity on the sequential development of inertial behavior show these variables have a significant moderating effect on the sequential development of inertia, except for the relation between switching barriers and affective inertia acting together, and conative inertia. These findings provide valuable insights that enable one to understand tourists' revisit behaviors. Theoretical and empirical implications are discussed, for the purpose of advancing tourism marketing discourse.