Behaviour in humans is intrinsically goal-oriented. In all realistic behaviour, goals are achieved by assembling a series of sub-tasks, each separately defined and solved (Duncan, 2010). To effectively guide behaviour in pursuit of goals, mental representations of appropriate lines of action must be maintained and executed. This occurs in all forms of behaviour, whether the situation is familiar or whether it is novel. In familiar situations, the rules governing the environmental context are over-prepared, so little must be controlled due to the complexity, danger, or novelty of the situation. These situations typically bring forth multiple or competing routes of potential action which have not been explored cognitive effort is required. Yet rule-based errors can still occur, especially when there is a slight change in the environment. Most people can relate to common action slips, such as flicking a light switch despite knowledge that the power is out (Cooper & Shallice, 2000). Rules, of course, are much more important when behaviour
The first principle is that the division of a mental program into goals, and then appropriate sub-goals is a fundamental property of successful goal- directed behaviour in humans (Duncan, 2010; Newell & Simon, 1972). Human behaviour is intrinsically goal-oriented; from the moment we wake up, goals begin to guide our behaviour. What we wear today, what we are going to have for breakfast, etc., immediately occupy our awareness. These goals initially exist at an abstract level (Sacerdoti, 1974). For example, when we awake we do not yet possess the final motor commands for preparing breakfast because we have not yet made it to the appropriate environment (the kitchen) and we have not assessed whether we have the right requirements to prepare breakfast. This process of high-level goals being decomposed into appropriate sub-goals to progress towards completion of a supergoal is so fundamental to behaviour