Being open minded without knowing why: Evidence from nonconscious goal pursuit

Goal pursuit is a process that takes us from a certain state in the present towards a desired state in the future. Goal pursuits, then, are likely to require adaptation to changing circumstances and environments. The current paper reviews recent advances in the study of nonconscious goal pursuit. It argues that given the importance of adaptation, nonconscious goal pursuit ought to be much more flexible than previously thought. Two mechanisms that allow such flexibility are implicit learning and executive processes, and evidence for their involvement in nonconscious goal pursuit is reviewed. Two new studies that examine how nonconscious goal pursuit increases and decreases open mindedness, a form of flexibility, are described.