Towards the Definition and Measurement of Routines and the Cognitive Processes that Underpin their Maintenance

Abstract The benefits of routines for daily functioning are widely acknowledged, yet, despite their apparent importance, methods for quantifying routine maintenance and the causes of their disruption remain lacking. Here, we propose a novel means of defining and quantifying routines (transition entropy). Using the transition entropy, we show that routines can be robustly elicited on tasks that require searching through a grid of squares for a hidden target. Over two experiments (N=100 each), we show that use of routines—as quantified by transition entropy—is robustly perturbed by frequent switches between search grids, as locations specific to the currently irrelevant grid become competitive for selection. Using a normative model that tracks task dynamics, we show that disruption to routines can be attributed to altered sensitivity to the odds of success for completing a task. This suggests that routine maintenance may be disrupted by over-sensitivity to a lack of reward early in routine performance, or increased expectations regarding the utility of pursuing other tasks.