Obsessive-Compulsive Tendencies Shift the Balance Between Competitive Neurocognitive Processes

Theoretical models of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) propose that its symptoms stem from an imbalance between habitual and goal-directed processes, marked by a bias toward habitual behavior and deficits in goal-directed control. While much of the existing research has focused on reward-based learning, the contribution of reward-independent learning processes to this imbalance remains unclear. To address this gap, the present study investigated the interaction between statistical learning (SL), a form of reward-free learning, and a dorsolateral prefrontal cortex function, cognitive flexibility, a key goal-directed function, in a non-clinical population. By adopting a dimensional approach to obsessive-compulsive (OC) tendencies, this work aims to overcome the limitations of categorical diagnoses and better capture the continuous, nuanced variability of symptoms, while clarifying how specific neurocognitive processes relate to OC tendencies. A total of 404 participants from the non-clinical population completed an online study involving the Alternating Serial Reaction Time (ASRT) task to assess SL and a Card Sorting Task to measure cognitive flexibility. Our findings revealed a competitive relationship between SL and cognitive flexibility. Critically, this inverse association weakened as OC tendencies increased, suggesting that even at non-clinical levels, OC tendencies may interfere with the typical interplay between automatic processes and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex functions. Notably, SL performance remained intact, and the observed effects were not attributable to reward sensitivity, as learning occurred without external feedback. These findings emphasize the value of examining non-clinical OC tendencies and highlight the importance of investigating neurocognitive system interactions, rather than isolated functions, in advancing our understanding of OCD.