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

Probability in Statistics01:14

Probability in Statistics

14.1K
Probability is the likelihood of an event occurring. The term event is defined as a collection of results of a procedure. An event is a simple event when an outcome cannot be divided into simpler parts.
An example of a simple event is a coin toss. The result of a coin toss is either a head or a tail. Here, head and tail are two simple events. These two simple events make up the sample space. Further, the probability of an event occurring falls within the range of 0 to 1. The probability of an...
14.1K
Reason and Intuition01:37

Reason and Intuition

6.5K
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...
6.5K
Probability Laws01:49

Probability Laws

41.2K
Overview
41.2K
Probability Distributions01:32

Probability Distributions

7.7K
 The probability of a random variable x  is the likelihood of its occurrence. A probability distribution represents the probabilities of a random variable using a formula, graph, or table. There are two types of probability distribution– discrete probability distribution and continuous probability distribution.
A discrete probability distribution is a probability distribution of discrete random variables. It can be categorized into binomial probability distribution and Poisson...
7.7K
Binomial Probability Distribution01:15

Binomial Probability Distribution

11.3K
A binomial distribution is a probability distribution for a procedure with a fixed number of trials, where each trial can have only two outcomes.
The outcomes of a binomial experiment fit a binomial probability distribution. A statistical experiment can be classified as a binomial experiment if the following conditions are met:
There are a fixed number of trials. Think of trials as repetitions of an experiment. The letter n denotes the number of trials.
There are only two possible outcomes,...
11.3K
Bias01:22

Bias

4.5K
Bias refers to any tendency that prevents a question from being considered unprejudiced. In research, bias occurs when one outcome or answer is selected or encouraged over others in sampling or testing. Bias can occur during any research phase, including study design, data collection, analysis, and publication.
In statistics, a sampling bias is created when a sample is collected from a population, and some members of the population are not as likely to be chosen as others (remember, each member...
4.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Do infants recognize relationships indirectly?

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same author

The first location heuristic: An early emerging way of judging where things belong.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2026
Same author

Why young children think actions aren't swayed by sunk costs: Testing two accounts.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2026
Same author

The Moral Standing of Created Agents: Bad Is More Owned Than Good.

Personality & social psychology bulletin·2026
Same author

The domino error: A novel mistake in simple physical reasoning.

Psychonomic bulletin & review·2026
Same author

Not All Authors Are Equal: Moral Judgments of Plagiarism From AI and Human Sources.

Open mind : discoveries in cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Sublexical semantic decoding during incidental novel word learning in natural Chinese reading.

Cognitive psychology·2026
Same journal

Seeing, hearing, and feeling causation.

Cognitive psychology·2026
Same journal

Separating decision and motor contributions to behavioral biases induced by manipulating stimulus probability.

Cognitive psychology·2026
Same journal

Congruency drives "conflict adaptation" independent of conflict: Converging evidence from behavior and computational modeling.

Cognitive psychology·2026
Same journal

Corrigendum to "Network analyses identify critical factors for facilitating future-oriented decision-making" [Cogn. Psychol. 165 (2026) 101815].

Cognitive psychology·2026
Same journal

The time course of local coherence effects in German: Evidence from self-paced reading times and event-related potentials.

Cognitive psychology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 10, 2025

Measuring the Subjective Value of Risky and Ambiguous Options using Experimental Economics and Functional MRI Methods
13:04

Measuring the Subjective Value of Risky and Ambiguous Options using Experimental Economics and Functional MRI Methods

Published on: September 19, 2012

12.2K

Probability and intentional action.

Spencer R Ericson1, Stephanie Denison1, John Turri2

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Canada.

Cognitive Psychology
|February 10, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

People attribute intentionality to actions that increase the probability of a desired outcome. Simply having favorable odds isn't enough; actively raising the likelihood of success is key for perceived intentionality.

Keywords:
ChoiceIntentional actionProbabilityProbability raisingTheory of mind

More Related Videos

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal
06:45

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal

Published on: April 18, 2017

6.3K
The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients
05:48

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

Published on: June 12, 2020

5.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 10, 2025

Measuring the Subjective Value of Risky and Ambiguous Options using Experimental Economics and Functional MRI Methods
13:04

Measuring the Subjective Value of Risky and Ambiguous Options using Experimental Economics and Functional MRI Methods

Published on: September 19, 2012

12.2K
Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal
06:45

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal

Published on: April 18, 2017

6.3K
The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients
05:48

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

Published on: June 12, 2020

5.8K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Social Psychology

Background:

  • Understanding intentionality is crucial for social cognition and moral judgments.
  • Previous research has explored factors like control and skill in attributing intentional actions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of probability and probability raising in attributions of intentionality.
  • To test the hypothesis that increasing the odds of an outcome enhances perceptions of intentionality.

Main Methods:

  • Five experiments (N=1410) were conducted.
  • Participants evaluated scenarios involving agents acting under varying probabilities of success.
  • The study manipulated whether agents passively encountered high odds or actively raised their probability of success.

Main Results:

  • High probability alone did not guarantee strong intentionality attributions.
  • Actively raising the probability of success led to significantly higher attributions of intentionality.
  • Probability raising effects persisted even when considering agents' beliefs and expectations.

Conclusions:

  • The findings support a probability raising account of intentionality.
  • Attributing intentionality involves recognizing an agent's efforts to increase the likelihood of a specific outcome.
  • Active probability manipulation, not just favorable conditions, is a critical factor in judging intentional action.