Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Optimization Problems01:26

Optimization Problems

102
Optimization problems often involve identifying maximum or minimum values under specific constraints. A well-known example is determining the longest horizontal pipe that can be moved around a right-angled corner, where a 3-meter-wide hallway meets a 2-meter-wide hallway. This scenario, common in architectural design and industrial transport, can be understood conceptually through geometric and trigonometric reasoning.To visualize the problem, consider the pipe as a straight line that touches...
102
Design Example: Alignment of a Road Line Using GIS01:17

Design Example: Alignment of a Road Line Using GIS

367
The alignment of a road line using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a critical process in civil engineering, combining advanced technology with practical decision-making. This methodology begins with the collection of geospatial data, including information on land cover, geomorphology, drainage patterns, slope, and contour details. Such data is typically acquired through satellite imagery and GIS tools, offering a comprehensive understanding of the terrain.Once the data is gathered, it...
367
Heuristics01:21

Heuristics

794
Heuristics are problem-solving strategies that use mental shortcuts to simplify decision-making. Unlike algorithms, which must be followed precisely to achieve a correct result, heuristics offer a general problem-solving framework. They save time and energy but can sometimes lead to less rational decisions.
People often rely on heuristics when faced with an overload of information, limited time, low importance of the decision, limited information, or when a heuristic readily comes to mind. For...
794
The Availability Heuristic01:08

The Availability Heuristic

7.2K
A heuristic is a general problem-solving framework (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974). You can think of these as mental shortcuts that are used to solve problems. Different types of heuristics are used in different types of situations, and the impulse to use a heuristic occurs when one of five conditions is met (Pratkanis, 1989):
7.2K
The Anchoring-and-Adjustment Heuristic01:25

The Anchoring-and-Adjustment Heuristic

7.8K
In order to make good decisions, we use our knowledge and our reasoning. Often, this knowledge and reasoning is sound and solid. However, sometimes, we are swayed by biases or by others manipulating a situation. For example, let’s say you and three friends wanted to rent a house and had a combined target budget of $1,600. The realtor shows you only very run-down houses for $1,600 and then shows you a very nice house for $2,000. Might you ask each person to pay more in rent to get the...
7.8K
Problem-Solving01:29

Problem-Solving

577
Effective problem-solving consists of two steps: 1. identifying the problem and 2. selecting the appropriate problem-solving strategy (i.e., a plan of action used to find a solution). Humans use four problem-solving strategies:
577

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Connecting the dots: children's use of a systematic figure to facilitate mapping and search.

Developmental psychology·2001
Same author

The role of temporal landmarks in autobiographical memory processes.

Psychological bulletin·1998
Same author

Beliefs about genetic influences on mathematics achievement: a cross-cultural comparison.

Genetica·1997
Same author

Angles and distances: children's and adults' reconstruction and scaling of spatial configurations.

Child development·1996
Same author

Beliefs and achievement: a study of black, white, and Hispanic children.

Child development·1990
Same journal

Limited protective effects of multilingualism against age-related cognitive decline.

Memory & cognition·2026
Same journal

Validation of illustrated texts: Can pictures raise awareness of inconsistencies?

Memory & cognition·2026
Same journal

4I remember (and forget) your happy smiling face: Directed forgetting of emotionally expressive faces of in-group and out-group members.

Memory & cognition·2026
Same journal

Identity in the spotlight: Matching faces without overlapping features.

Memory & cognition·2026
Same journal

Test delay and change awareness moderate retroactive and proactive memory effects.

Memory & cognition·2026
Same journal

The Deese/Roediger-McDermott (DRM) illusion in short-term memory: Opposite effects of retention interval on true and false recognition.

Memory & cognition·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 2, 2026

Evaluating the Effect of Roadside Parking on a Dual-Direction Urban Street
14:55

Evaluating the Effect of Roadside Parking on a Dual-Direction Urban Street

Published on: January 20, 2023

4.5K

The initial segment strategy: a heuristic for route selection.

J N Bailenson1, M S Shum, D H Uttal

  • 1Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA. bailenson@condor.psych.ucsb.edu

Memory & Cognition
|May 3, 2000
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

People often use a route planning shortcut called the initial segment strategy (ISS). This heuristic causes people to choose different travel routes depending on their direction of travel.

More Related Videos

Evaluation of an Exclusive Spur Dike U-Turn Design with Radar-Collected Data and Simulation
11:41

Evaluation of an Exclusive Spur Dike U-Turn Design with Radar-Collected Data and Simulation

Published on: February 1, 2020

21.0K
From Voxels to Knowledge: A Practical Guide to the Segmentation of Complex Electron Microscopy 3D-Data
12:08

From Voxels to Knowledge: A Practical Guide to the Segmentation of Complex Electron Microscopy 3D-Data

Published on: August 13, 2014

25.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 2, 2026

Evaluating the Effect of Roadside Parking on a Dual-Direction Urban Street
14:55

Evaluating the Effect of Roadside Parking on a Dual-Direction Urban Street

Published on: January 20, 2023

4.5K
Evaluation of an Exclusive Spur Dike U-Turn Design with Radar-Collected Data and Simulation
11:41

Evaluation of an Exclusive Spur Dike U-Turn Design with Radar-Collected Data and Simulation

Published on: February 1, 2020

21.0K
From Voxels to Knowledge: A Practical Guide to the Segmentation of Complex Electron Microscopy 3D-Data
12:08

From Voxels to Knowledge: A Practical Guide to the Segmentation of Complex Electron Microscopy 3D-Data

Published on: August 13, 2014

25.1K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Human Navigation
  • Spatial Decision-Making

Background:

  • Route choices between two points are often asymmetric, with different paths selected for opposite directions.
  • Existing models do not fully explain these observed route asymmetries in human navigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose and test the initial segment strategy (ISS) as a cognitive heuristic explaining route asymmetries.
  • To investigate whether route planning decisions are disproportionately influenced by the initial segments of potential routes.

Main Methods:

  • Five experiments were conducted using artificial and real-world maps (e.g., college campuses).
  • Participants made route selection decisions under varying conditions, including time pressure and explicit instructions.
  • Analysis focused on identifying asymmetric route preferences and the influence of initial route straightness.

Main Results:

  • Consistent route asymmetries were observed, favoring initially straight route segments.
  • The initial segment strategy (ISS) was confirmed as a heuristic, relied upon more heavily under time constraints.
  • Participants could select optimal routes when explicitly instructed, indicating awareness is possible.

Conclusions:

  • The initial segment strategy (ISS) effectively accounts for directional asymmetries in route selection.
  • This heuristic plays a significant role in everyday route planning, impacting choices on diverse map types.
  • Understanding cognitive heuristics like the ISS is crucial for explaining human spatial decision-making.