# Effort-Based Decision Making and Motivated Behavior in Everyday Life

> **NIH NIH R37** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $697,531

## Abstract

This is a competitive renewal of an R01 supporting a program of research delineating the psychological and
neural mechanisms of impairments in motivation and goal-oriented behavior in psychosis, which will extend our
work transdiagnostically. Motivational impairments are a key feature of both psychotic and mood pathology,
and are included in the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) Positive Valence System. Decreases in motivation
impair work and social function transdiagnostically, reduce quality of life, and increase public health demands.
Current treatments are not sufficiently effective at reducing impairments in motivation in every day life, in part
due to the need to better understand the mechanisms that give rise to these symptoms. Our prior research
provides strong evidence that abnormal effort-cost decision-making (ECDM; Effort valuation/Willingness to
work in the RDoC Positive Valence System) may be a key contributor to motivational deficits in both psychotic
and mood pathology. ECDM refers to calculations that individuals perform to estimate the amount of physical
or cognitive “work” required to obtain a reward. Individuals with schizophrenia, schizoaffective, bipolar disorder
and depression are less motivated than healthy individuals to exert effort to obtain rewards on experimental
tasks, and these deficits are related to symptoms of amotivation and function in every day life. Here we bring
together a team with complimentary expertise for an innovative transdiagnostic study that would determine the
similarities and differences in the psychological and neural mechanisms that contribute to impaired ECDM
across forms of psychopathology. We will integrate state-of-the art functional neuroimaging methods
developed in the Human Connectome Project, novel behavioral and imaging paradigms derived from the
affective science literature (Consultants Treadway & Westbrook), and innovative mobile technologies to assess
motivated behavior in everyday life (Co-Is Ben-Zeev, Campbell, & Moran). This study will address NIMH
Strategic Objective #1 (Define the Mechanisms of Complex Behaviors) and inform novel targets for future
interventions. Aim 1 will test the hypothesis that impairments in cognitive and/or physical ECDM cut across the
spectrum of psychotic and mood disorders, and relate to each other. Aim 2 will test the hypothesis that altered
ECDM in psychosis may be more associated with impairments in the RDoC construct of cognitive control,
while altered ECDM related to depression may be more related to the RDoC constructs of reward
responsiveness and learning. Aim 3 will test the hypothesis that altered ECDM in psychosis may be more
associated with impairments in dorsal anterior cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity and
connectivity, while altered ECDM in depression may be more related to impairments striatal, anterior insula,
and ventral-medical prefrontal activity and connectivity. Aim 4 will test the hypothesis that ECDM predicts
amot...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9857086
- **Project number:** 5R37MH066031-12
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Deanna Barch
- **Activity code:** R37 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $697,531
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2004-01-01 → 2023-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9857086

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9857086, Effort-Based Decision Making and Motivated Behavior in Everyday Life (5R37MH066031-12). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9857086. Licensed CC0.

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