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

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

A disinhibitory basal forebrain-to-cortex projection supports sustained attention.

Cell·2026

Same author

Naturalistic behavior and self-generated neural activity predictive of self-correction.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Parallel processing chains span cytoarchitectures to organize association cortex.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Laminar organization of cellular microcircuits modulating human interictal epileptiform discharges.

Nature neuroscience·2026

Same author

A cortical circuit for orchestrating oromanual food manipulation.

Neuron·2026

Same author

Regional specialization in prefrontal cortex manifests in the reliability of task progression codes.

Neuron·2026

Same journal

Hunting ecology predicts eye arrangements in the modular visual system of spiders.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same journal

Sub-second fluctuations between top-down and bottom-up modes distinguish diverse human brain states.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same journal

Queen bees offload pesticide burden to eggs when social buffering is overwhelmed.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same journal

Pitch selectivity in ferret auditory cortex.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same journal

A cell size-dependent competition between geometry and polarity governs nuclear and spindle positioning in early embryos.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same journal

Trophic cascades drive sustainability in the agricultural heritage rice-fish coculture system.

Current biology : CB·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 21, 2025

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze

Published on: July 29, 2025

Rats use memory confidence to guide decisions.

Hannah R Joo¹, Hexin Liang², Jason E Chung³

¹Medical Scientist Training Program, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, 401 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, 401 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.

Current Biology : CB

|September 2, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Rats demonstrated memory confidence by adjusting their bets in a spatial memory task. This study introduces a unified model of memory dynamics, retrieval, choice, and confidence in rats.

Keywords:

behavior confidence decision making deep neural network machine learning memory metamemory rat spatial memory

More Related Videos

Testing for Metacognitive Responding Using an Odor-based Delayed Match-to-Sample Test in Rats

Testing for Metacognitive Responding Using an Odor-based Delayed Match-to-Sample Test in Rats

Published on: June 18, 2018

A Fully Automated Rodent Conditioning Protocol for Sensorimotor Integration and Cognitive Control Experiments

A Fully Automated Rodent Conditioning Protocol for Sensorimotor Integration and Cognitive Control Experiments

Published on: April 15, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 21, 2025

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze

An Appetitive Spatial Working Memory Task for Mice in a Semi-Automated 8-Arm Radial Maze, Reducing Fearful Memory Association in the Maze

Published on: July 29, 2025

Testing for Metacognitive Responding Using an Odor-based Delayed Match-to-Sample Test in Rats

Testing for Metacognitive Responding Using an Odor-based Delayed Match-to-Sample Test in Rats

Published on: June 18, 2018

A Fully Automated Rodent Conditioning Protocol for Sensorimotor Integration and Cognitive Control Experiments

A Fully Automated Rodent Conditioning Protocol for Sensorimotor Integration and Cognitive Control Experiments

Published on: April 15, 2014

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science
Animal Behavior

Background:

Memory retrieval guides future behavior, with humans assessing memory trustworthiness (confidence).
The relationship between memory retrieval, confidence, and decision-making remains poorly understood.
Specifically, how memory confidence influences decision-making processes is unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the link between memory retrieval, confidence, and decision-making in rats.
To determine if rats exhibit memory confidence and utilize it in decision-making.
To develop a computational model explaining memory dynamics, retrieval, choice, and confidence.

Main Methods:

Developed a spatial memory task where rats gambled time for rewards based on choice accuracy.
Analyzed rat behavior, specifically temporal betting patterns as an indicator of memory confidence.
Applied machine learning to identify a memory decision variable and created a generative model of memory evolution.

Main Results:

Rat behavior reflected memory confidence, with increased temporal bets following correct choices.
A machine learning approach identified a memory decision variable.
A generative model accurately predicted rat choices and confidence reports, demonstrating memory dynamics over time.

Conclusions:

Rats exhibit memory confidence, similar to abilities previously thought exclusive to primates.
The study introduces a unified computational model for memory dynamics, retrieval, choice, and confidence.
Findings advance our understanding of memory-based decision-making across species.