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

Trial and Error and Algorithm01:12

Trial and Error and Algorithm

A problem-solving strategy is a plan of action used to find a solution. Different strategies have distinct action plans. Trial and error involves trying different solutions until one works. For instance, to fix a broken printer, you might check ink levels, ensure the paper tray isn't jammed, and verify the printer's connection to your laptop. This method can be time-consuming but is commonly used. Thomas Edison, for example, used trial and error to find a suitable filament for the light bulb,...
Decision Making01:20

Decision Making

Decision-making is a fundamental cognitive process that involves evaluating alternatives and selecting among them. This process can range from simple choices, such as deciding what to wear, to complex decisions, like choosing a major in college or a career path. The complexity of the decision often dictates the approach we use, which can be broadly categorized into two types: automatic and controlled decision-making.
Automatic decision-making is fast, intuitive, and relies on gut feelings...
Problem-Solving01:29

Problem-Solving

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:
Heuristics01:21

Heuristics

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...
Multi-Step Reactions02:31

Multi-Step Reactions

Chemical reactions often occur in a stepwise fashion involving two or more distinct reactions taking place in a sequence. A balanced equation indicates the reacting species and the product species, but it reveals no details about how the reaction occurs at the molecular level. The reaction mechanism (or reaction path) provides details regarding the precise, step-by-step process by which a reaction occurs. Each of the steps in a reaction mechanism is called an elementary reaction. These...
Decision Making: Traditional Method01:14

Decision Making: Traditional Method

The process of hypothesis testing based on the traditional method includes calculating the critical value, testing the value of the test statistic using the sample data, and interpreting these values.
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is decided based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to this claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses, out of which a null hypothesis would be a...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Intuitions of mathematical curves in young children's drawings.

Cognition·2025
Same author

From retinotopic to ordinal coding: Dissecting the cortical stages of visual word recognition.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025
Same author

GNW theoretical framework and the "adversarial testing of global neuronal workspace and integrated information theories of consciousness".

Neuroscience of consciousness·2025
Same author

Mariette: A screening test for reading errors in primary school.

Cognitive neuropsychology·2025
Same author

The Neural Bases of Graphical Perception: A Novel Instance of Cultural Recycling?

Journal of cognitive neuroscience·2025
Same author

The compositional nature of number concepts: Insights from number frequencies.

Cognition·2025
Same journal

On aims and methods in field neuroethology: Investigating neural mechanisms of behavior in semi-natural and natural contexts.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
Same journal

Neurobiological interfaces connecting environmental change to monarch butterfly migration.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
Same journal

Learning how to experience the world: From circuits to cell types to genes.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
Same journal

Editorial overview for neurobiology of disease 2026.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
Same journal

Optical voltage imaging: ready to spark systems neuroscience.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
Same journal

The neuroendocrine basis for parental care in teleost fish.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 21, 2026

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

From a single decision to a multi-step algorithm.

Stanislas Dehaene1, Mariano Sigman

  • 1Collège de France, F-75005 Paris, France. stanislas.dehaene@gmail.com

Current Opinion in Neurobiology
|June 19, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Human sequential computation, like complex math, relies on serial decision chains. This brain function, akin to a slow serial Turing machine, is effortful but enables complex problem-solving.

More Related Videos

An Automated T-maze Based Apparatus and Protocol for Analyzing Delay- and Effort-based Decision Making in Free Moving Rodents
07:42

An Automated T-maze Based Apparatus and Protocol for Analyzing Delay- and Effort-based Decision Making in Free Moving Rodents

Published on: August 2, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 21, 2026

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

An Automated T-maze Based Apparatus and Protocol for Analyzing Delay- and Effort-based Decision Making in Free Moving Rodents
07:42

An Automated T-maze Based Apparatus and Protocol for Analyzing Delay- and Effort-based Decision Making in Free Moving Rodents

Published on: August 2, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Computational Neuroscience

Background:

  • Humans excel at sequential and recursive computations, such as multiplication.
  • Flexible, multi-step computations are typically slow and require significant cognitive effort.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a neurobiological model for how the brain performs sequential computations.
  • To explain the cognitive cost associated with flexible, multi-step decision-making.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent neurobiological and computational research on multi-step decision-making.
  • Theoretical framework based on evidence accumulation and threshold crossing.

Main Results:

  • Sequential computations are implemented through serial chains of evidence accumulation and decision steps.
  • This process approximates the function of a slow serial Turing machine.

Conclusions:

  • The brain's architecture supports serial processing for complex computations.
  • Understanding these mechanisms offers insights into primate cortical function and cognitive limitations.