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

High-Level and Low-Level Awareness01:19

High-Level and Low-Level Awareness

354
Controlled processes in human consciousness represent high-alert mental states where individuals deliberately focus their attention on achieving specific goals. Controlled processes can be seen in situations like mastering new technology, where a person might become so absorbed that they ignore surrounding distractions. Such processes involve selective attention, requiring one to concentrate on particular elements of experience while disregarding others. These are governed by executive...
354
Working Memory01:24

Working Memory

414
Working memory refers to a combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow an individual to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks. It is an essential cognitive function that enables the execution of complex tasks such as problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Unlike short-term memory, which simply involves the storage of information for a brief period, working memory involves the active manipulation and processing of this...
414
Introduction to Cognitive Psychology01:20

Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

591
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...
591
Cognitivism01:17

Cognitivism

1.6K
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...
1.6K
Cognitive Learning01:21

Cognitive Learning

479
Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
479
Decision Making01:20

Decision Making

182
Decision-making is a fundamental cognitive process that involves evaluating alternatives and selecting among them. This process can range from simple choices, such as deciding what to wear, to complex decisions, like choosing a major in college or a career path. The complexity of the decision often dictates the approach we use, which can be broadly categorized into two types: automatic and controlled decision-making.
Automatic decision-making is fast, intuitive, and relies on gut feelings...
182

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Functions of consciousness: Proprioception and mental imagery.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same author

Sentience, Vulcans, and zombies: the value of phenomenal consciousness.

AI & society·2024
Same author

Non-Human Moral Status: Problems with Phenomenal Consciousness.

AJOB neuroscience·2022
Same author

Mapping the Ethical Issues of Brain Organoid Research and Application.

AJOB neuroscience·2021
Same journal

Functional Neural Architecture of Working Memory in Musicians: An ALE Meta-Analysis and Review.

Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Collective Memory in Animals.

Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science·2026
Same journal

What Counts as an Environment in Memory Research? Conceptualizing Environment Across Memory Traditions.

Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Origins and Evolution of Imagination, From Australopithecus to Modern-Day Deep Learning.

Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Multilevel Perceptual-Motor Coupling: From Action Understanding to Execution.

Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Hope in Early Childhood: Novel Methodology for Measuring Hope in 5- and 6-Year-Olds.

Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 24, 2025

Design and Implementation of an fMRI Study Examining Thought Suppression in Young Women with, and At-risk, for Depression
08:42

Design and Implementation of an fMRI Study Examining Thought Suppression in Young Women with, and At-risk, for Depression

Published on: May 19, 2015

10.8K

Conscious cognitive effort in cognitive control.

Joshua Shepherd1,2

  • 1Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Cognitive Science
|October 20, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cognitive effort is central to cognitive control but its definition is unclear. This work proposes a pluralistic view of cognitive effort within a network of mental value to clarify its role.

Keywords:
cognitive controlconsciousnessmental effort

More Related Videos

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention
09:48

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention

Published on: September 11, 2017

10.0K
Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
09:14

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: March 14, 2025

315

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 24, 2025

Design and Implementation of an fMRI Study Examining Thought Suppression in Young Women with, and At-risk, for Depression
08:42

Design and Implementation of an fMRI Study Examining Thought Suppression in Young Women with, and At-risk, for Depression

Published on: May 19, 2015

10.8K
Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention
09:48

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention

Published on: September 11, 2017

10.0K
Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
09:14

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: March 14, 2025

315

Area of Science:

  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Cognitive effort is widely considered integral to cognitive control and cost/benefit computations.
  • Its precise definition and function within cognitive psychology and neuroscience remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically examine the construct of cognitive effort.
  • To identify key points of disagreement and open questions regarding cognitive effort.
  • To propose a clearer conceptual framework for understanding cognitive effort.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of existing literature on cognitive effort and cognitive control.
  • Identification of ambiguities and disagreements in current theoretical frameworks.
  • Proposal of a pluralistic and network-based conceptualization of cognitive effort.

Main Results:

  • The current understanding of cognitive effort is problematically ambiguous, potentially masking significant theoretical disagreements.
  • Key unresolved questions concern the causes, representation, and relationship of cognitive effort to action and consciousness.
  • A pluralistic approach, viewing cognitive effort as diverse actions promoting task success, is suggested.

Conclusions:

  • Cognitive effort is a multifaceted construct requiring a clearer definition for advancing cognitive control research.
  • A pluralistic view of cognitive effort as a network node within mental value systems offers a promising direction.
  • Further research into this network may elucidate the roles of cognitive effort and consciousness in cognitive control.