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

Decision Making

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...

Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive psychology is the field of psychology dedicated to examining how people think. It attempts to explain how and why we think the way we do by studying the interactions among human thinking, emotion, creativity, language, and problem-solving, as well as other cognitive processes. Cognitive psychology studies how information is processed and manipulated in remembering, thinking, and knowing.
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...

Cognitivism

Cognitivism

Cognitive psychology emerged as a significant field in the mid-20th century. It focused on understanding humans' internal mental processes. This approach emphasizes how people perceive, remember, think, and solve problems—elements critical to human cognition.
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process...

Decision Making: Traditional Method

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...

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...

Cognitive Learning

Cognitive Learning

Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Incorporating episodic memory into quantum models of judgement and decision.

Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences·2025

Same author

Preface (Part I): quantum theory and topology in models of decision making.

Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences·2025

Same author

An overview of the quantum cognition research program.

Psychonomic bulletin & review·2025

Same author

Bridging the gap between subjective probability and probability judgments: The quantum sequential sampler.

Psychological review·2024

Same author

Beyond discrete-choice options.

Trends in cognitive sciences·2024

Same author

Integrating Categorization and Decision-Making.

Cognitive science·2023

Same journal

When criterion control in face matching induces correlation: Commentary on Baker et al. (2026).

Cognition·2026

Same journal

Corrigendum to "Productivity matters for the neural processing of novel words, but not existing ones" Cognition Volume 274 (2026) 106593.

Cognition·2026

Same journal

Investigating the origins of partisanship: What motivates children to preferentially endorse their ingroups' claims?

Cognition·2026

Same journal

People make graded judgments about the inconceivable.

Cognition·2026

Same journal

The self as an image: Appearance and belief in visual representations of one's own face.

Cognition·2026

Same journal

Corrigendum to 'Consonant, vowel, and tone cues in early wordform recognition: Evidence from Cantonese-learning infants' [Cognition 275 (2026) 106624].

Cognition·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 19, 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

Cognitive science contributions to decision science.

Jerome R Busemeyer¹

¹Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, 1101 E. 10th St., Bloomington, IN 48705, United States.

|December 16, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This review highlights how psychology and cognitive science increasingly influence decision science. Dynamic models from cognitive science explain preference evolution during decision-making.

Keywords:

Heuristics Prospect theory Sequential sampling models Utility theory

More Related Videos

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

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

Operant Protocols for Assessing the Cost-benefit Analysis During Reinforced Decision Making by Rodents

Operant Protocols for Assessing the Cost-benefit Analysis During Reinforced Decision Making by Rodents

Published on: September 10, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 19, 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 Automated T-maze Based Apparatus and Protocol for Analyzing Delay- and Effort-based Decision Making in Free Moving Rodents

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

Operant Protocols for Assessing the Cost-benefit Analysis During Reinforced Decision Making by Rodents

Operant Protocols for Assessing the Cost-benefit Analysis During Reinforced Decision Making by Rodents

Published on: September 10, 2018

Area of Science:

Decision Science
Cognitive Psychology
Behavioral Decision-Making

Background:

Decision theory historically developed independently.
Behavioral decision-making research emerged, integrating psychological insights.
Cognitive psychology provides deeper understanding of mental processes.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the historical interplay between decision theory, behavioral decision-making, and cognitive psychology.
To highlight the growing impact of psychological sciences on decision science.
To introduce dynamic models of cognitive processes in decision-making.

Main Methods:

Literature review of decision theory, behavioral decision-making research, and cognitive psychology.
Analysis of the integration and impact of psychological sciences on decision science.
Examination of cognitive science contributions, specifically dynamic models.

Main Results:

Psychology and cognitive science have a significant and growing impact on decision science.
Cognitive science offers dynamic models to explain preference evolution.
These models illuminate the cognitive underpinnings of decision-making processes.

Conclusions:

The integration of cognitive science enhances decision science with process-oriented models.
Understanding cognitive processes is crucial for advancing decision theory.
Future research should further explore dynamic models in decision-making contexts.