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

What is Behavior?

What is Behavior?

Behaviors are actions that an organism engages in—they can be related to finding food, reproducing, defending against threats, and many other possible actions. Behaviors include activities related to the environment around the animal—such as migration—as well as social interactions within a species or population. Many behaviors involve motor output—that is, muscle movements—while others involve less visible actions, such as learning.

Behavior Modification

Behavior Modification

Behavioral approaches have often been criticized for ignoring mental processes and focusing solely on observable behavior. However, these approaches provide an optimistic perspective for individuals seeking to change their behaviors. Rather than concentrating on intrinsic personality traits, behavioral approaches suggest that even longstanding habits can be modified by changing the reward contingencies that maintain them.
A real-world application of operant conditioning principles is applied...

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...

Problem-Solving

Problem-Solving

Effective problem-solving consists of two steps: 1. identifying the problem and 2. selecting the appropriate problem-solving strategy (i.e., a plan of action used to find a solution). Humans use four problem-solving strategies:

Operant Conditioning Intervention

Operant Conditioning Intervention

Operant conditioning serves as a foundational principle in therapeutic interventions aimed at modifying maladaptive behaviors. Central to this approach is the notion that behaviors, both adaptive and maladaptive, are learned through reinforcement. By analyzing the environmental factors that reinforce problematic behaviors, clinicians can design interventions to weaken these reinforcements and replace maladaptive behaviors with healthier alternatives.
In operant conditioning, behaviors that are...

Heuristics

Heuristics

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Snake Oil or Panacea? How to Misuse AI in Scientific Inquiries of the Human Mind.

Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)·2026

Same author

Feedback based on simple strategies facilitates strategy execution and selection in foraging.

Psychonomic bulletin & review·2025

Same author

Category learning processes in the light of variability: Insights from a self-regulated category learning task.

Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition·2025

Same author

Identifying similarity- and rule-based processes in quantitative judgments: A multi-method approach combining cognitive modeling and eye tracking.

Psychonomic bulletin & review·2025

Same author

When the eyes have it and when not: How multiple sources of activation combine to guide eye movements during multiattribute decision making.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2021

Same author

A cognitive category-learning model of rule abstraction, attention learning, and contextual modulation.

Psychological review·2021

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 26, 2025

Barnes Maze Testing Strategies with Small and Large Rodent Models

Barnes Maze Testing Strategies with Small and Large Rodent Models

Published on: February 26, 2014

Adaptive behavior in optimal sequential search.

Christiane Baumann¹, René Schlegelmilch², Bettina von Helversen²

¹Department of Psychology, University of Zurich.

Journal of Experimental Psychology. General

|October 13, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

People adapt their sequential decision-making strategies in changing environments. Cognitive strategies adjust to outcome variance and time horizons, influencing choices in optimal stopping tasks.

More Related Videos

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats

Published on: February 15, 2015

Author Spotlight: Exploring Behavioral Pathways Through Cross-Species Insights in Foraging and Communication

Author Spotlight: Exploring Behavioral Pathways Through Cross-Species Insights in Foraging and Communication

Published on: November 17, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 26, 2025

Barnes Maze Testing Strategies with Small and Large Rodent Models

Barnes Maze Testing Strategies with Small and Large Rodent Models

Published on: February 26, 2014

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats

Published on: February 15, 2015

Author Spotlight: Exploring Behavioral Pathways Through Cross-Species Insights in Foraging and Communication

Author Spotlight: Exploring Behavioral Pathways Through Cross-Species Insights in Foraging and Communication

Published on: November 17, 2023

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Decision Science
Behavioral Economics

Background:

Sequential decision-making, or optimal stopping, is crucial for everyday choices.
Understanding how individuals adapt their strategies in dynamic environments is key.
Existing models often simplify the cognitive processes underlying these decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate adaptive behavior in sequential decision-making under varying environmental contexts.
To examine how manipulations in outcome variance and time horizon affect cognitive strategies.
To apply a threshold model of optimal stopping to differentiate cognitive processes.

Main Methods:

Two studies were conducted, manipulating outcome variance and time horizon in sequential choice tasks.
Participants' decisions were analyzed using a threshold model of optimal stopping.
Individual differences in decision thresholds were assessed across conditions.

Main Results:

Participants adaptively scaled perceived option values to outcome variance, indicating relative valuation.
Increased time horizons lowered initial acceptance thresholds but less than optimally.
Adjustments to acceptance thresholds over time were weaker for longer sequences.
Individual decision thresholds showed stability across manipulated conditions.

Conclusions:

People demonstrate adaptive cognitive strategies in sequential decision-making, adjusting to environmental changes.
Decision-making is influenced by relative value perception and temporal factors.
Individual differences in cognitive strategies play a consistent role across different decision contexts.