Agency.
The Journal of general psychology January 1, 2025 Peter R Killeen, Stephen Helms Tillery, Felipe Cabrera 6 citations
Agency can be understood as goal-directed action within a hierarchy of nested control systems, ranging from deterministic reflexes to volitional choices. Goals are set by higher modules, with the Self as the brain's model of the agent. When actions become habitual, they descend into automaticity, but emotional or contextual changes can restore volition. The Self simulates action plans consciously, giving them hedonic value. Positive feedback focuses attention on salient goals, enabling self-organization. Free will and determinism are not opposites but modulating inputs across a spectrum of control systems.