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

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...

Routes of Persuasion

Routes of Persuasion

Persuasion is the process of changing our attitude toward something based on some kind of communication. Much of the persuasion we experience comes from outside forces. How do people convince others to change their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors? What communications do you receive that attempt to persuade you to change your attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors?

Confirmation Biases

Confirmation Biases

The confirmation bias is the tendency to focus on information that confirms our existing beliefs and ignore information that is inconsistent with our expectations. For example, if you think that your professor is not very nice, you notice all of the instances of rude behavior exhibited by the professor while ignoring the countless pleasant interactions he is involved in on a daily basis. Have you ever fallen prey to the confirmation bias, either as the source or target of such bias?

Hindsight Biases

Hindsight Biases

Hindsight bias leads you to believe that the event you just experienced was predictable, even though it really wasn’t. In other words, you knew all along that things would turn out the way they did. Can you relate this to the phrase "Hindsight is 20/20" now?

Relationship Formation

Relationship Formation

What do you think is the single most influential factor in determining with whom you become friends and whom you form romantic relationships? You might be surprised to learn that the answer is simple: the people with whom you have the most contact. This most important factor is proximity. You are more likely to be friends with people you have regular contact with. For example, there are decades of research that shows that you are more likely to become friends with people who live in your dorm,...

Deductive Reasoning

Deductive Reasoning

Deductive reasoning, or deduction, is the type of logic used in hypothesis-based science. In deductive reasoning, the pattern of thinking moves in the opposite direction as compared to inductive reasoning, which means that it uses a general principle or law to predict specific results. From those general principles, a scientist can deduce and predict the specific results that would be valid as long as the general principles are valid.
For example, a researcher can deduce specific predictions...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Coordinating with Peers vs. Adults.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026

Same author

Three-year-old children understand the false beliefs of their partner in collaborative decision making.

Child development·2026

Same author

It's the cost that counts! Young children's reciprocity is sensitive to subjective cost.

Child development·2026

Same author

Attention in evolutionary perspective.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2025

Same author

Thought and language: Effects of group-mindedness on young children's interpretation of exclusive we.

Child development·2023

Same author

Apes reciprocate food positively and negatively.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2023

Same journal

The cognitive foundations of children's culture.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026

Same journal

Let the kids play: Children's folklore, Newell's paradox, and the triviality barrier.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026

Same journal

Variable cultural acquisition costs may explain contextual variation in peer cultures.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026

Same journal

What's special about peer cultures? The opportunity for disagreement.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026

Same journal

The adaptive role of peer culture is shaped by risk landscapes.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026

Same journal

Hidden cultures: How parental control shapes children's cultural adaptation in East Asian societies.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 12, 2025

The Modified Temptation Resistance Task: A Paradigm to Elicit Children's Strategic Lie-telling

The Modified Temptation Resistance Task: A Paradigm to Elicit Children's Strategic Lie-telling

Published on: April 6, 2018

Knowledge-by-acquaintance before propositional knowledge/belief.

Michael Tomasello¹

¹Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.Michael.tomasello@duke.edu.

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences

|November 19, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers explored the difference between knowing someone personally and knowing facts about them. This knowledge-by-acquaintance distinction better explains comparative and developmental data in cognitive science.

More Related Videos

Problem-Solving Before Instruction PS-I: A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Problem-Solving Before Instruction PS-I: A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Published on: September 11, 2021

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization

Published on: April 19, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 12, 2025

The Modified Temptation Resistance Task: A Paradigm to Elicit Children's Strategic Lie-telling

The Modified Temptation Resistance Task: A Paradigm to Elicit Children's Strategic Lie-telling

Published on: April 6, 2018

Problem-Solving Before Instruction PS-I: A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Problem-Solving Before Instruction PS-I: A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Published on: September 11, 2021

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization

Published on: April 19, 2017

Area of Science:

Cognitive Science
Epistemology
Developmental Psychology

Background:

Existing distinctions in epistemology often focus on knowing versus believing.
This framework may not fully capture nuances in knowledge acquisition and understanding.
Comparative and developmental data present challenges for current theoretical models.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce and advocate for a more fundamental distinction between knowledge-by-acquaintance and propositional knowledge/belief.
To demonstrate the explanatory power of this distinction for existing empirical findings.
To provide a refined theoretical basis for understanding cognitive development and comparative cognition.

Main Methods:

Conceptual analysis of epistemological distinctions.
Re-evaluation of comparative and developmental data through the lens of knowledge-by-acquaintance vs. propositional knowledge.
Theoretical argumentation supporting the proposed distinction.

Main Results:

The distinction between knowledge-by-acquaintance (e.g., knowing a person) and propositional knowledge/belief (e.g., knowing a fact) is more foundational.
This refined distinction offers a superior account for observed patterns in comparative and developmental studies.
It addresses limitations in models solely based on knowing vs. believing.

Conclusions:

The knowledge-by-acquaintance/propositional knowledge distinction provides a more robust framework for understanding cognition.
This framework enhances our interpretation of how knowledge is acquired and represented across different contexts.
Future research in cognitive and developmental science should consider this distinction.