Motivation Science, Vol 10(2), Jun 2024, 128-137; doi:10.1037/mot0000323
People sometimes emit frequently practiced responses that were previously effective in achieving desired outcomes but are no longer appropriate in the current context. While dual-process theories attribute these action slips to goal-independent, associative processes, we propose that errors in the expectancies about action outcomes contribute to their occurrence. To investigate this, we first replicated an influential study by Hardwick et al. (2019), demonstrating the occurrence of action slips following extensive stimulus–response training when individuals are required to respond rapidly. Building on this foundation, we conducted two additional experiments using a similar procedure, incorporating a measure of outcome expectancies under time pressure. Our findings provide compelling evidence for errors not just in selected responses but also in expected outcomes of these responses, particularly in early time intervals. These results highlight the possible role of goal-directed processes in action slips under time pressure, advancing our understanding of the cognitive mechanisms underlying suboptimal behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)