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

Defining Psychology

Defining Psychology

Psychology is the scientific discipline dedicated to understanding both observable behavior and the internal mental processes underlying such behavior. It aims to comprehend human nature and apply this understanding to solve practical problems, enhance well-being, and improve societal outcomes. An example of psychology's application is the study of prosocial behavior, such as why and under what conditions individuals might help strangers in need. This process involves describing observed...

The Nativist Approach

The Nativist Approach

The nativist approach to infant cognitive development proposes that infants are born with inherent knowledge structures that allow them to interpret the world almost immediately. This perspective contrasts with earlier developmental theories, such as those proposed by Jean Piaget, which emphasized a more gradual acquisition of cognitive abilities through interaction with the environment. One key concept in this approach is object permanence — the understanding that objects continue to...

Gestalt Psychology

Gestalt Psychology

Gestalt psychology, founded by Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, and Wolfgang Kohler, emphasizes the importance of understanding perception as an organized whole. Developed as a counter to Wilhelm Wundt's structuralism, this approach posits that our perceptions are more than just the sum of sensory parts; they are comprehensive wholes where the relationships between parts define the perception. The principle "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts" encapsulates this view,...

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...

Behaviorism

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...

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Spontaneous level-2 perspective taking in Balinese children: effects of social group membership.

Journal of experimental child psychology·2026

Same author

Group-dependent selective forgetting in Arab-Israeli children.

Developmental psychology·2026

Same author

The Intriguingly Social N400 of Preverbal Infants.

Developmental neurobiology·2026

Same author

Creating a shared representational space.

Acta psychologica·2025

Same author

Pedagogy Does Not Necessarily Constrain Exploration: Investigating Preschoolers' Information Search During Instructed Exploration.

Developmental science·2025

Same author

Effects of Joint Action Observation on Children's Imitation.

Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 5, 2025

Author Spotlight: A Novel Setup to Conduct Naturalistic Laboratory Experiments with Real Human Actors in Scenarios

Author Spotlight: A Novel Setup to Conduct Naturalistic Laboratory Experiments with Real Human Actors in Scenarios

Published on: August 4, 2023

Attention in naïve psychology.

Fruzsina Elekes¹, Ildikó Király²

¹MTA-ELTE Social Minds Research Group, Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Izabella u. 46, 1064, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University, Nádor u 9, 1051 Budapest, Hungary.

|October 19, 2020

Summary

Humans use a basic psychological model of attention to improve mind-reading abilities. This model, linked to intentions, helps tailor social attention and mental state inferences for better interaction.

Keywords:

Naïve attention model Selective processing Theory of mind Top-down attention

More Related Videos

Combining Computer Game-Based Behavioural Experiments With High-Density EEG and Infrared Gaze Tracking

Combining Computer Game-Based Behavioural Experiments With High-Density EEG and Infrared Gaze Tracking

Published on: December 16, 2010

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

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 5, 2025

Author Spotlight: A Novel Setup to Conduct Naturalistic Laboratory Experiments with Real Human Actors in Scenarios

Author Spotlight: A Novel Setup to Conduct Naturalistic Laboratory Experiments with Real Human Actors in Scenarios

Published on: August 4, 2023

Combining Computer Game-Based Behavioural Experiments With High-Density EEG and Infrared Gaze Tracking

Combining Computer Game-Based Behavioural Experiments With High-Density EEG and Infrared Gaze Tracking

Published on: December 16, 2010

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

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Social Neuroscience
Theory of Mind

Background:

Mentalizing relies on various cognitive functions and background knowledge.
The specific influence of cognitive faculties like attention on mentalizing remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

To propose a novel theory on how a psychological model of attention modulates mentalizing.
To investigate the role of attention in tailoring mental state inferences.

Main Methods:

Theoretical framework development: Naïve Attention Model Theory.
Conceptual analysis of attention as a goal-dependent, intentional relation.
Integration of existing evidence on social attention and mindreading.

Main Results:

Humans develop a naïve psychological model of attention.
This model, driven by intentions, influences environmental representation and mentalizing.
Tracing attention aids mindreading by providing contextually relevant information.

Conclusions:

The Naïve Attention Model Theory offers a new perspective on social attention.
Attention, when understood through intentions, is crucial for effective mindreading.
This theory provides a framework for future research on social cognition.