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

Metacognition01:26

Metacognition

146
Metacognition is a conscious process where individuals are aware of their cognitive and executive processes, such as planning before solving a problem or self-monitoring during reading. For instance, a writer may need help with composing a piece. The situation involves a writer who is working on a piece of writing, but while doing so, they realize that something is missing. They notice that their characters lack depth or details. This realization occurs because the writer is reflecting on their...
146
Cognitivism01:17

Cognitivism

1.4K
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...
1.4K
Nonconscious Mimicry01:13

Nonconscious Mimicry

4.5K
Nonconscious mimicry occurs when individuals alter their mannerisms to match the behaviors and expressions of those nearby, without intention.
4.5K
Lazarus's Cognitive Appraisal Theory01:20

Lazarus's Cognitive Appraisal Theory

199
Cognitive psychologist Richard Lazarus proposed the cognitive-mediational theory of emotions, which emphasizes how individuals' assessments of stressors significantly affect their experience of stress. According to Lazarus, the stress response is determined by a two-step appraisal process: primary appraisal and secondary appraisal. These cognitive appraisals help individuals evaluate the potential impact of a stressor and determine the adequacy of their coping resources.
Primary Appraisal:...
199
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping02:05

Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping

38.9K
People can go to great lengths to protect their self-image and present themselves in ways that they want others to see them. Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage. Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is present (Goffman, 1959). Think about...
38.9K
Reason and Intuition01:37

Reason and Intuition

6.4K
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...
6.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Peeking ahead in space and time.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same author

Gibbons (Nomascus leucogenys), siamangs (Symphalangus syndactylus), and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) account for proportional probabilities in a two-choice task.

Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983)·2025
Same author

The recursive grammar of mental time travel.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2024
Same author

Can chimpanzees conceive of mutually exclusive future possibilities? A Comment on: 'Chimpanzees prepare for alternative possible outcomes' (2023), by Engelmann <i>et al.</i>

Biology letters·2024
Same author

Young children experience both regret and relief in a gain-or-loss context.

Cognition & emotion·2023
Same author

Creativity and flexibility in young children's use of external cognitive strategies.

Developmental psychology·2023

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 15, 2025

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

5.7K

Can you help me? Using others to offload cognition.

Kristy L Armitage1, Jonathan Redshaw2

  • 1School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Level 3, McElwain Building (24A), St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia. kristy.armitage@uq.net.au.

Memory & Cognition
|August 22, 2024
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

People preferentially seek help from more competent individuals when performing cognitive tasks. This study shows observers learn and use proficiency beliefs to guide their cognitive offloading decisions.

Keywords:
Cognitive offloadingMemoryMetacognitionProblem solvingSocial cognition

More Related Videos

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
08:24

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

Published on: August 25, 2023

660
A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
10:38

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

Published on: July 16, 2015

13.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 15, 2025

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

5.7K
The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
08:24

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

Published on: August 25, 2023

660
A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
10:38

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

Published on: July 16, 2015

13.6K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Social Cognition

Background:

  • Cognitive offloading, or outsourcing mental tasks, is a fundamental human strategy.
  • Understanding how individuals choose whom to offload tasks onto is crucial for effective collaboration and learning.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether humans preferentially seek information from more competent versus less competent others.
  • To examine if observational learning influences cognitive offloading decisions.

Main Methods:

  • Participants (N=120) performed a visuospatial working memory task.
  • They observed two virtual individuals with differing memory game performance.
  • Participants then completed the memory task with access to either the high- or low-performing virtual individual for assistance.

Main Results:

  • Participants formed beliefs about virtual individuals' cognitive proficiencies through observation.
  • They were more likely to seek help from the virtual individual with a stronger memory.
  • This preference was independent of task difficulty, individual ability, and metacognitive confidence.

Conclusions:

  • Humans naturally assess and utilize others' competence for cognitive offloading.
  • Observational learning plays a significant role in guiding social cognitive offloading strategies.
  • Future research should explore real-world implications of this observed bias in seeking help.