["Psychophysiology, Volume 63, Issue 5, May 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nGoal‐directed behavior allows humans to flexibly adjust their actions according to expected outcomes. In the present study (N = 40), we combined behavioral analysis with psychophysiological measures to examine how goal‐directed control unfolds over time. Using a reinforcement‐learning task, we elicited two patterns of responding and examined neural activity preceding two types of responses: The initiation of a response burst and the subsequent responses within that burst. Variability in the readiness potential (RP), a neural marker of action preparation that has been associated with graded goal‐directed engagement, decreased more strongly prior to within‐burst responses than prior to burst initiation. This pattern suggests greater engagement of goal‐directed processes once responding is underway. RP variability was also reduced in behavioral contexts characterized by a higher proportion of within‐burst responses. Across conditions, individuals who produced more within‐burst responses showed stronger neural signatures associated with goal‐directed control. Together, these findings suggest that goal‐directed modulation varies over time within behavioral sequences and that psychophysiological measures can index corresponding variation in action‐outcome sensitivity.\n"]