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

Heuristics01:21

Heuristics

133
Heuristics are problem-solving strategies that use mental shortcuts to simplify decision-making. Unlike algorithms, which must be followed precisely to achieve a correct result, heuristics offer a general problem-solving framework. They save time and energy but can sometimes lead to less rational decisions.
People often rely on heuristics when faced with an overload of information, limited time, low importance of the decision, limited information, or when a heuristic readily comes to mind. For...
133
The Availability Heuristic01:08

The Availability Heuristic

6.1K
A heuristic is a general problem-solving framework (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974). You can think of these as mental shortcuts that are used to solve problems. Different types of heuristics are used in different types of situations, and the impulse to use a heuristic occurs when one of five conditions is met (Pratkanis, 1989):
6.1K
Reason and Intuition01:37

Reason and Intuition

6.6K
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...
6.6K
The Anchoring-and-Adjustment Heuristic01:25

The Anchoring-and-Adjustment Heuristic

7.4K
In order to make good decisions, we use our knowledge and our reasoning. Often, this knowledge and reasoning is sound and solid. However, sometimes, we are swayed by biases or by others manipulating a situation. For example, let’s say you and three friends wanted to rent a house and had a combined target budget of $1,600. The realtor shows you only very run-down houses for $1,600 and then shows you a very nice house for $2,000. Might you ask each person to pay more in rent to get the...
7.4K
Inductive Reasoning00:59

Inductive Reasoning

61.8K
Inductive reasoning is a form of logical thinking that uses related observations to arrive at a general conclusion. It is uncertain and operates in degrees to which the conclusions are credible. As such, inductive arguments can be weak or strong, rather than valid or invalid, and conclusions can be used to formulate testable, falsifiable hypotheses.
Inductive reasoning is common in descriptive science. A life scientist makes observations and records them. This data can be qualitative or...
61.8K
Introduction to Cognitive Psychology01:20

Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

608
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...
608

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Reporting confidence decreases response and change-of-mind accuracy in a perceptual decision task.

Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance·2025
Same author

Beyond embodiment: Rethinking the integration of cognitive neuroscience and mechanistic explanations.

Cognitive neuroscience·2024
Same author

Physiological arousal underlies preferential access to visual awareness of fear-conditioned (and possibly disgust-conditioned) stimuli.

Emotion (Washington, D.C.)·2023
Same author

Discussion on the Relationship between Computation, Information, Cognition, and Their Embodiment.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2023
Same author

Structuring unleashed expression: Developmental foundations of human communication.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2023
Same author

Counting with Cilia: The Role of Morphological Computation in Basal Cognition Research.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2022
Same journal

Institutions as cached computation for resource-rational negotiation.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same journal

Delegation to legitimate authority as a resource rational mechanism.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same journal

Moral cognition is contractualist, but does not work by simulating a bargaining process.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same journal

Contractarian partiality, contractualist impartiality, and the question of falsifiability.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same journal

The veil and the deal: Bargaining between case-specific solutions and unknown rules.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same journal

Moral decision-making entails negotiation over the psychological mechanisms underlying decisions.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 27, 2025

Evaluating Usability Aspects of a Mixed Reality Solution for Immersive Analytics in Industry 4.0 Scenarios
06:02

Evaluating Usability Aspects of a Mixed Reality Solution for Immersive Analytics in Industry 4.0 Scenarios

Published on: October 6, 2020

2.3K

Enough blanket metaphysics, time for data-driven heuristics.

Wiktor Rorot1,2, Tomasz Korbak3, Piotr Litwin2

  • 1Faculty of Philosophy, University of Warsaw, 00-927 Warszawa, Polandw.rorot@uw.edu.plhttps://wiktor.rorot.pl.

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|September 29, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Criticisms of the free energy principle (FEP) suggest its blanket discovery requires a complete system description, rendering it futile. Researchers should instead utilize heuristic approaches like Pearl blankets for practical applications.

More Related Videos

A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments
08:12

A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments

Published on: March 1, 2022

2.6K
Databases to Efficiently Manage Medium Sized, Low Velocity, Multidimensional Data in Tissue Engineering
09:43

Databases to Efficiently Manage Medium Sized, Low Velocity, Multidimensional Data in Tissue Engineering

Published on: November 22, 2019

6.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 27, 2025

Evaluating Usability Aspects of a Mixed Reality Solution for Immersive Analytics in Industry 4.0 Scenarios
06:02

Evaluating Usability Aspects of a Mixed Reality Solution for Immersive Analytics in Industry 4.0 Scenarios

Published on: October 6, 2020

2.3K
A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments
08:12

A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments

Published on: March 1, 2022

2.6K
Databases to Efficiently Manage Medium Sized, Low Velocity, Multidimensional Data in Tissue Engineering
09:43

Databases to Efficiently Manage Medium Sized, Low Velocity, Multidimensional Data in Tissue Engineering

Published on: November 22, 2019

6.3K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Computational Neuroscience
  • Philosophy of Mind

Background:

  • The free energy principle (FEP) is a prominent theoretical framework in neuroscience and cognitive science.
  • Criticisms regarding the practical application and theoretical underpinnings of FEP, particularly concerning "blanket discovery," have been raised by Bruineberg and colleagues.
  • These criticisms have often been downplayed within the FEP literature.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To strengthen and elaborate on existing criticisms of the free energy principle (FEP).
  • To argue against the feasibility of "blanket discovery" as proposed within the FEP framework.
  • To advocate for a return to heuristic applications of related concepts, specifically Pearl blankets.

Main Methods:

  • Formal analysis of the requirements for "blanket discovery" within the free energy principle.
  • Critique of the assumption that a full formal description of a system is available at the outset for blanket discovery.
  • Comparative analysis of "blanket metaphysics" versus heuristic approaches.

Main Results:

  • The study argues that "blanket discovery," even if computationally tractable, necessitates a complete formal description of the system under investigation from the beginning.
  • This requirement renders the concept of blanket metaphysics as currently formulated within FEP futile.
  • The findings support the utility of heuristic applications of concepts like Pearl blankets over the theoretical construct of blanket metaphysics.

Conclusions:

  • The theoretical framework of the free energy principle faces significant challenges regarding its practical implementation, particularly "blanket discovery."
  • The requirement for a complete system description at the outset makes blanket metaphysics an unachievable goal.
  • A shift towards heuristic methodologies, such as the use of Pearl blankets, is recommended for advancing research in related fields.