The effect of delayed rewards on human goal-directed actions

Goal-directed actions are defined by their sensitivity to the causal association between actions and outcomes, as well as the subjective value ascribed to those outcomes. When this sensitivity diminishes, actions may transition into habitual behavior. Based on recent findings from animal studies, we hypothesized that delaying outcomes relative to actions would weaken sensitivity to outcome revaluation and reduce action rates. In three experiments ( N = 290 ), participants made fictitious investments in companies within different contexts providing immediate or delayed feedback. After training, participants were informed of a market crash that affected the performance of both companies, favoring one over the other. Across all experiments, action rates were lower in the delayed-feedback condition, and outcome revaluation had a more pronounced effect in the immediate-feedback condition. Self-reported action-outcome knowledge revealed that participants were less aware of the contingencies in the delayed condition. These findings suggest that delays in reinforcement weaken the action-outcome association critical for goal-directed control. We discuss the potential mechanisms underlying this phenomenon and its implications for understanding real-life decisions.