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

Behavior Modification01:21

Behavior Modification

Behavioral approaches have often been criticized for ignoring mental processes and focusing solely on observable behavior. However, these approaches provide an optimistic perspective for individuals seeking to change their behaviors. Rather than concentrating on intrinsic personality traits, behavioral approaches suggest that even longstanding habits can be modified by changing the reward contingencies that maintain them.
A real-world application of operant conditioning principles is applied...
Operant Conditioning Intervention01:24

Operant Conditioning Intervention

Operant conditioning serves as a foundational principle in therapeutic interventions aimed at modifying maladaptive behaviors. Central to this approach is the notion that behaviors, both adaptive and maladaptive, are learned through reinforcement. By analyzing the environmental factors that reinforce problematic behaviors, clinicians can design interventions to weaken these reinforcements and replace maladaptive behaviors with healthier alternatives.
In operant conditioning, behaviors that are...
Timing and Consequences on Behavior01:08

Timing and Consequences on Behavior

In operant conditioning, the timing of reinforcement is crucial. For animals like rats and cats, immediate reinforcement (within a few seconds) is much more effective than delayed reinforcement. For example, a food reward for a rat needs to follow within 30 seconds of pressing a bar to be effective. 
Humans, however, can respond to delayed reinforcers. We often make decisions between immediate small rewards and delayed larger rewards. This ability to delay gratification is a significant factor...
Operant Conditioning01:21

Operant Conditioning

Operant conditioning, a key concept in behavioral psychology, involves using reinforcement and punishment to alter the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. B.F. introduced this type of conditioning. Skinner focused on voluntary behaviors and the consequences that follow them, influencing whether these behaviors will be strengthened or diminished.
Reinforcement in operant conditioning can be positive or negative, both of which serve to increase the likelihood of a behavior. Positive...
Behaviorism01:28

Behaviorism

The field of behaviorism was pioneered by figures such as Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson, and B.F. Skinner fundamentally shifted the focus of psychology to the observable and controllable aspects of human and animal behavior. This shift marked a critical evolution in the discipline, emphasizing scientific rigor and experimental methodology.
The core premise of behaviorism is its focus on observable behavior rather than internal thoughts or feelings. This approach argues that true scientific...
Role of Shaping in Operant Conditioning01:19

Role of Shaping in Operant Conditioning

Shaping is a technique used in operant conditioning to train complex behaviors by rewarding successive approximations toward the target behavior. This method is necessary because organisms are unlikely to perform complex behaviors spontaneously. Instead, shaping breaks down the desired behavior into small, manageable steps.
The steps involved in shaping begin with reinforcing any response that resembles the desired behavior. For example, parents might praise a child for picking up one toy. As...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Role of neuronal oscillations in memory driven visual processing.

BMC biology·2026
Same author

Perceptual rhythms by phase-aligned perceptual performance peaks across trials.

Communications psychology·2026
Same author

Temporal concentration and phase synchronization in phase-amplitude coupling.

Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience·2025
Same author

Behavioral relevance of category selectivity revealed by human ECoG data.

PloS one·2025
Same author

The Role of Layer 6 Corticothalamic Circuits in Vision: Plasticity, Sensory Processing, and Behavior.

Annual review of vision science·2025
Same author

Effects of corticothalamic feedback depend on visual responsiveness and stimulus type.

iScience·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 18, 2026

New Variations for Strategy Set-shifting in the Rat
09:45

New Variations for Strategy Set-shifting in the Rat

Published on: January 23, 2017

Improving behavioral performance under full attention by adjusting response criteria to changes in stimulus

Steffen Katzner1, Stefan Treue, Laura Busse

  • 1Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Germany. steffen.katzner@uni-tuebingen.de

Journal of Vision
|September 6, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Active perception uses learned timing to predict sensory events. This study shows performance improves by adjusting response criteria, not sensitivity, as target likelihood changes.

More Related Videos

The Attentional Set Shifting Task: A Measure of Cognitive Flexibility in Mice
09:15

The Attentional Set Shifting Task: A Measure of Cognitive Flexibility in Mice

Published on: February 4, 2015

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats
08:30

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats

Published on: February 15, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 18, 2026

New Variations for Strategy Set-shifting in the Rat
09:45

New Variations for Strategy Set-shifting in the Rat

Published on: January 23, 2017

The Attentional Set Shifting Task: A Measure of Cognitive Flexibility in Mice
09:15

The Attentional Set Shifting Task: A Measure of Cognitive Flexibility in Mice

Published on: February 4, 2015

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats
08:30

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats

Published on: February 15, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Perception

Background:

  • Active perception involves predicting critical sensory events.
  • Humans and animals learn statistical regularities to enhance performance.
  • Understanding how predictions improve behavior is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate if performance gains stem from perceptual sensitivity changes or response criterion adjustments.
  • Examine the role of hazard rate in modulating performance.
  • Clarify the mechanisms underlying predictability effects in perception.

Main Methods:

  • Employed a signal detection approach with human observers.
  • Utilized a noise-limited motion detection task with predictable stimuli.
  • Manipulated target predictability using the hazard rate.

Main Results:

  • Performance improvements were explained by response criterion adjustments.
  • A growing hazard rate led to an increased tendency to report targets.
  • Perceptual sensitivity remained unaffected by the hazard rate.
  • Reaction times decreased with increasing hazard rate, explained by threshold adjustments.

Conclusions:

  • Behavioral performance is optimized by dynamically adjusting the response criterion.
  • This adjustment occurs even with full attention and constant perceptual sensitivity.
  • Predictability effects are attributed to threshold adjustments, not altered information supply.