Goal‐directed behaviors in patients with schizophrenia: Concept relevance and updated model

Abstract

Goal-directed behaviors are formulated to pursue a given objective by constructing a plan and selecting actions that lead to the intended goal, either immediately or over an extended period. This concept is important to the study of human behavior because of its involvement in the majority of complex or novel situations that an individual may encounter, regardless of the cognitive, affective, or social abilities required. In this paper, we aim to demonstrate the relevance of goal-directed behaviors to our understanding of the cognitive deficits and other symptoms associated with schizophrenia. A systematic analysis of this relation may allow us to develop integrative hypotheses regarding positive, negative, and disorganized symptoms of schizophrenia rather than consider them to be distinct issues. In this article, we review previous studies of goal-directed actions in patients with schizophrenia in order to clarify the relevant concepts and provide a theoretical basis for the integration of existing results. Based on available theoretical models and data, we propose an updated model to facilitate further investigation of schizophrenia-related impairments in goal-directed behaviors.

Modelling of self‐management in schizophrenia: The role of neurocognition, self‐efficacy and motivation

“…Emerging evidence suggests that motivation could mediate the relationship between neurocognition and both functional outcomes and quality of life in schizophrenia (Nakagami, Xie, Hoe, & Brekke, 2008). Though little data have focused on the relationships of neurocognition, motivation and self‐management, the cognitive mechanism involving goals and efforts selection is of great importance for action, as Rinaldi and Lefebvre (2016) referred in the framework of goal‐directed behaviours in schizophrenia. Recently, Thomas, Luther, Zullo, Beck, and Grant (2017) identified motivation as one of the key factors in the chain from neurocognition to community participation, in which self‐care activities were involved.…”

“…(Jochems, Duivenvoorden, van Dam, van der Feltz‐Cornelis, & Mulder, 2017). Self‐management in schizophrenia involves a wide range of goal‐directed and effortful activities that are relatively hard for patients to incorporate into everyday life, and motivation is the force that initiates and maintains such behaviours (Rinaldi & Lefebvre, 2016). Recent data have further suggested that motivation may mediate the impact of neurocognitive impairment on personal care and interpersonal skills, independent living skills, social functions and quality of life (Bowie et al., 2008; Cardenas et al., 2013; Chang et al., 2017; Harvey & Strassnig, 2012; Quinlan, Roesch, & Granholm, 2014).…”

Subcortical Dopamine and Cognition in Schizophrenia: Looking Beyond Psychosis in Preclinical Models

“…A number of studies have proposed models for how goal-directed behavior is impacted in schizophrenia (Frith, 2000). One model in particular suggests that negative symptoms are associated with a deficit in action initiation and positive symptoms are associated with deficits in cognitive control, with disorganized symptoms associated with deficits in contextual information integration (Rinaldi and Lefebvre, 2016). In a study investigating goal-directed planning and action in a virtual environment, impairments in these processes were observed in those with schizophrenia (Siddiqui et al, 2019).…”

À propos de la modélisation cognitive de la schizophrénie : « De Frith à nos jours, actualisations ou nouveaux paradigmes ? ». Une revue de littérature systématique.

“…Ce modèle est entre autres issu des concepts de FRITH de 1992. Nous avons retrouvé notamment deux articles de RINALDI et LEFEBVRE de 2014 (196) et 2016 (197) qui évoquent un tel modèle.…”