ABSTRACT
Humans, like all animals, are strongly motivated to approach stimuli that signal a potential reward and avoid those that may lead to harm. The expectation of receiving a reward or punishment is fundamental to nearly all forms of learning and, through repeated exposure, can become associated with environmental cues. For example, when an abstinent smoker hears the distinctive crackling sound a cigarette makes when someone nearby inhales one, this sound alone, through its long history of being associated with smoking, can lead to increased craving and desire for a cigarette. This cue-elicited impulse to consume the tempting item can enter into conflict with the abstinent smoker’s goal of remaining tobacco free. As reviewed in this chapter, exposure to reward cues such as these can have a host of physiological and psychological effects on the individual: from increased attention toward the desired item and suppression of competing goals, through to increased heart rate, salivation, and activity in the brain’s reward centers. These downstream effects of cue-exposure may precipitate failures of self-control as individuals abandon long-term goals in favor of indulging their immediate cravings and impulses.
