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

Decision Making01:20

Decision Making

1.3K
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...
1.3K
Decision Making: Traditional Method01:14

Decision Making: Traditional Method

5.9K
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...
5.9K
Timing and Consequences on Behavior01:08

Timing and Consequences on Behavior

756
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...
756
Cognitive Development During Adulthood01:30

Cognitive Development During Adulthood

1.3K
Cognitive development continues throughout adulthood, undergoing significant shifts across early, middle, and late stages. Individual transition occurs from adolescent idealism to pragmatic and adaptable thinking in early adulthood. During this period, individuals learn to integrate personal beliefs with the recognition that other perspectives are equally valid. Exposure to the complexities of modern society, diverse experiences, and higher education contribute to this adaptive thought process,...
1.3K
Reason and Intuition01:37

Reason and Intuition

7.7K
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...
7.7K
Interference and Decay01:16

Interference and Decay

586
Forgetting is a complex cognitive phenomenon influenced by several factors, among which interference and decay are particularly prominent. These processes explain why individuals often struggle to retrieve specific information from memory, leading to lapses in recall that can be observed in everyday situations.
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
586

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

The vicarious nature of hippocampal theta sequences.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
Same author

Just how goal-directed are hippocampal theta sweeps, anyway?

Nature neuroscience·2026
Same author

Coordinated Representational Drift Across the Mouse Cortex.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Hippocampal representations differentiate reactive and anticipatory responses during foraging under threat.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Individual differences in decision-making shape how mesolimbic dopamine regulates choice confidence and change-of-mind.

Nature neuroscience·2025
Same author

Opposing, multiplexed information in lateral and ventral orbitofrontal cortex guides sequential foraging decisions in rats.

Neuron·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 15, 2026

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
08:24

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

Published on: August 25, 2023

1.3K

Aging impairs deliberation and behavioral flexibility in inter-temporal choice.

Yannick-André Breton1, Kelsey D Seeland1, A David Redish1

  • 1Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN, USA.

Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
|April 15, 2015
PubMed
Summary

Aging impairs inter-temporal choice strategies in rats, leading to increased vicarious trial and error (VTE) behavior that is detached from flexible decision-making. This highlights age-related cognitive decline affecting complex choices.

Keywords:
agingdelay-discountinghippocampusmaze navigationratspatial behaviorvicarious trial and error

More Related Videos

Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task
07:47

Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task

Published on: January 9, 2016

16.2K
Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice
07:07

Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice

Published on: June 5, 2016

9.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 15, 2026

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
08:24

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

Published on: August 25, 2023

1.3K
Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task
07:47

Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task

Published on: January 9, 2016

16.2K
Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice
07:07

Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice

Published on: June 5, 2016

9.3K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Aging
  • Behavioral Economics

Background:

  • Inter-temporal choice involves complex cognitive systems that can be affected by aging.
  • Vicarious trial and error (VTE) is a behavior observed in rats during difficult decisions, linked to search processes and behavioral flexibility.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how aging impacts decision-making strategies and VTE in rats using a Spatial Adjusting Delay Discounting task.
  • To examine the relationship between VTE, behavioral flexibility, and aging in rats.

Main Methods:

  • Tested three age groups of rats (5-month, 9-month, and over-27-month-old) on a Spatial Adjusting Delay Discounting task.
  • The task involved choices between smaller-sooner and larger-later rewards, with delay adjustments based on rat decisions.
  • Measured lap-by-lap strategies and the occurrence of VTE behavior.

Main Results:

  • Aged rats exhibited distinct choice strategies compared to younger and adult rats.
  • Older rats displayed significantly more VTE behavior over extended periods.
  • The increased VTE in aged rats was uncoupled from behavioral flexibility.

Conclusions:

  • Aging alters decision-making strategies in inter-temporal choice tasks.
  • Older rats show a pronounced increase in VTE, suggesting altered cognitive processes during decision-making.
  • The dissociation of VTE from behavioral flexibility in aged rats indicates a potential deficit in adaptive decision-making.