Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Introspection

Introspection

Introspection, long upheld as a reliable route to self-knowledge, involves examining one's thoughts, emotions, and mental processes. It underpins many psychological practices, from mindfulness meditation to psychotherapy and self-help strategies. However, empirical evidence challenges the accuracy of introspection as a means of understanding oneself.Limitations of Introspective InsightSeminal work by Nisbett and Wilson demonstrated that individuals are frequently unaware of the true causes...

Reason and Intuition

Reason and Intuition

The human brain processes information for decision-making using one of two routes: an intuitive system and a rational system (Epstein, 1994; popularized by Kahneman, 2011 as System 1 and System 2, respectively). The intuitive system is quick, impulsive, and operates with minimal effort, relying on emotions or habits to provide cues for what to do next, while the rational system is logical, analytical, deliberate, and methodical. Research in neuropsychology suggests that the brain can only use...

Attribution Theory

Attribution Theory

Behavior is a product of both the situation (e.g., cultural influences, social roles, and the presence of bystanders) and of the person (e.g., personality characteristics). Subfields of psychology tend to focus on one influence or behavior over others. Situationism is the view that our behavior and actions are determined by our immediate environment and surroundings. In contrast, dispositionism holds that our behavior is determined by internal factors (Heider, 1958). An internal factor is an...

Intelligence

Intelligence

The term "intelligence" is complex because it refers to both behavior and individuals, and its interpretation varies across cultures. European Americans tend to link intelligence with reasoning and cognitive skills, while in Kenya, it is tied to responsible participation in family and social life. In Uganda, intelligence is seen as the ability to know the right actions and carry them out effectively, while the Iatmul people of Papua New Guinea associate it with the capacity to remember detailed...

Actor-Observer Effect

Actor-Observer Effect

The actor-observer effect, a cognitive bias closely linked to the fundamental attribution error, refers to the tendency for individuals to attribute their behavior to external, situational factors while explaining others’ behavior in terms of internal, dispositional traits. This asymmetry in attribution significantly influences social perception and judgment.Cognitive Mechanisms Behind the EffectTwo primary psychological mechanisms contribute to the actor-observer effect: differences in visual...

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective

In a study where individuals posing as strangers offered compliments and proposed casual sex to students, the responses differed significantly based on gender. Not a single woman accepted the proposal, while 70% of the men agreed. This outcome provides a useful scenario to explore through the lens of evolutionary psychology and social learning theory, highlighting the diverse perspectives on human sexual behaviors.
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Increased reoperation rates after meniscus repair compared to arthroscopic partial meniscectomy: Data from a comprehensive clinical cohort with up to 10 years follow-up.

Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA·2025

Same author

Symptoms indicative of early knee osteoarthritis after ACL reconstruction: descriptive analysis of the SHIELD cohort.

Osteoarthritis and cartilage open·2025

Same author

Sick leave after arthroscopic meniscus repair vs. arthroscopic partial meniscectomy.

Osteoarthritis and cartilage open·2023

Same author

Sick leave before and after arthroscopic partial meniscectomy due to traumatic meniscal tear.

Osteoarthritis and cartilage open·2022

Same author

Patient's subjective knee function 3-5 years following partial meniscectomy or meniscus repair compared to a normal population: a retrospective cohort study.

BMJ open sport & exercise medicine·2022

Same author

Proteomics Profiling of Human Synovial Fluid Suggests Increased Protein Interplay in Early-Osteoarthritis (OA) That Is Lost in Late-Stage OA.

Molecular & cellular proteomics : MCP·2022

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

Published on: June 12, 2020

An intentional interpretive perspective.

¹Departmentof Psychology, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. pneuman@brynmawr.edu

The Behavior Analyst

|April 6, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study offers a behavior-analytic perspective on attributing intention, differentiating it from common definitions. It explores how environmental interactions and observer interpretations shape our understanding of intention in behavior.

More Related Videos

Dissociation of the Confounding Influences of Expectancy and Integrative Difficulty Residing in Anomalous Sentences in Event-related Potential Studies

Dissociation of the Confounding Influences of Expectancy and Integrative Difficulty Residing in Anomalous Sentences in Event-related Potential Studies

Published on: May 9, 2019

Exploring the Role of Deontic Reasoning and World Knowledge in Wason´s Selection Task

Exploring the Role of Deontic Reasoning and World Knowledge in Wason´s Selection Task

Published on: July 22, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 23, 2026

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

Published on: June 12, 2020

Dissociation of the Confounding Influences of Expectancy and Integrative Difficulty Residing in Anomalous Sentences in Event-related Potential Studies

Dissociation of the Confounding Influences of Expectancy and Integrative Difficulty Residing in Anomalous Sentences in Event-related Potential Studies

Published on: May 9, 2019

Exploring the Role of Deontic Reasoning and World Knowledge in Wason´s Selection Task

Exploring the Role of Deontic Reasoning and World Knowledge in Wason´s Selection Task

Published on: July 22, 2025

Area of Science:

Behavior Analysis
Psychology

Background:

Vernacular definitions of intention lack specificity within behavior analysis.
Most psychological approaches use intentions to explain behavior, unlike behavior analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide a behavior-analytic account of attributing intention.
To identify conditions that lead to speaking of intention.
To examine intention attribution for contingency-shaped versus instructionally controlled behavior.

Main Methods:

Analysis of behavior-analytic interpretations of intention.
Examination of observer's behavior and environmental relations.
Distinguishing between vernacular and behavior-analytic definitions of intention.

Main Results:

Behavior analysis focuses on behavior-environment interplay, not intention as a primary cause.
Observer's interpretations and behavior are integral to attributing intention.
The study outlines conditions for attributing intention in behavior.

Conclusions:

A behavior-analytic approach offers a distinct framework for understanding intention.
Attributing intention involves analyzing observer interpretations and behavior-environment interactions.
Further research can clarify intention attribution for different behavioral controls.