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

Information Processing Approach01:30

Information Processing Approach

30
The information-processing theory of cognitive development centers on fundamental mental processes, including attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Researchers in this field examine how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, evolve and influence children's overall development. Studies indicate that children with stronger working memory tend to excel in reading comprehension, math, and problem-solving compared to peers with less efficient memory skills. Low working memory is...
30
Role of Shaping in Operant Conditioning01:19

Role of Shaping in Operant Conditioning

258
Shaping is a technique used in operant conditioning to train complex behaviors by rewarding successive approximations toward the target behavior. This method is necessary because organisms are unlikely to perform complex behaviors spontaneously. Instead, shaping breaks down the desired behavior into small, manageable steps.
The steps involved in shaping begin with reinforcing any response that resembles the desired behavior. For example, parents might praise a child for picking up one toy. As...
258
Cognitive Learning01:21

Cognitive Learning

219
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...
219
Self-Discrepancy Theory02:45

Self-Discrepancy Theory

18.3K
One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.  
18.3K
Persuasion Strategies01:52

Persuasion Strategies

38.4K
Researchers have tested many persuasion strategies, including the foot-in-the door and the door-in-the-face techniques, in a variety of contexts. Ultimately, the principles are effective in selling products and changing people’s attitude, ideas, and behaviors (Cialdini & Goldstein, 2004).
38.4K
Timing and Consequences on Behavior01:08

Timing and Consequences on Behavior

77
In operant conditioning, the timing of reinforcement is crucial. For animals like rats and cats, immediate reinforcement (within a few seconds) is much more effective than delayed reinforcement. For example, a food reward for a rat needs to follow within 30 seconds of pressing a bar to be effective. 
Humans, however, can respond to delayed reinforcers. We often make decisions between immediate small rewards and delayed larger rewards. This ability to delay gratification is a significant...
77

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Social robots' verbal time updates facilitate children's persistence in challenging tasks: A comparison with humans.

Child development·2026
Same author

Moral somatic marker: new directions for the mechanisms underlying morality in preverbal infants.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same author

Do infants expect physically competent agents to gain access to contested resources?

Infant behavior & development·2025
Same author

Exploring dog and cat cohabitation within Japanese households.

Scientific reports·2025
Same author

Face-Looking as a Real-Time Process in Mind-Mindedness: Timely Coordination Between Mothers' Gaze on Infants' Faces and Mind-Related Comments.

Infancy : the official journal of the International Society on Infant Studies·2024
Same author

Infants' Social Evaluation of Helpers and Hinderers: A Large-Scale, Multi-Lab, Coordinated Replication Study.

Developmental science·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 3, 2025

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children
07:01

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children

Published on: March 1, 2019

7.9K

Does using multiple strategies enhance preschoolers' persistence in a challenging task?

Moeko Ishikawa1, Yasuhiro Kanakogi2

  • 1Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Suita-shi, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0083, Japan.

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|January 9, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Children’s persistence in challenging tasks is not improved by being told strategies. Instead, independently devising new strategies is key for sustained effort and success.

Keywords:
AutonomyInstructionPedagogyPersistencePreschooler

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

6.2K
Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm
07:26

Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm

Published on: May 4, 2020

3.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 3, 2025

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children
07:01

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children

Published on: March 1, 2019

7.9K
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

6.2K
Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm
07:26

Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm

Published on: May 4, 2020

3.3K

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Cognitive Psychology

Background:

  • Persistence is vital for children's success in challenging situations.
  • Previous research suggests strategy use correlates with persistence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if verbal instructions or demonstrations of strategies influence persistence in young children.
  • To explore the relationship between strategy use and persistence.

Main Methods:

  • Three studies (N=150, 54, 30) involving 4- and 5-year-olds and an unachievable persistence task.
  • Study 1: Verbal instructions on single vs. multiple strategies.
  • Study 2 & 3: Demonstrations of strategies and analysis of independent strategy invention.

Main Results:

  • Verbal instructions did not significantly affect children's persistence or strategy use.
  • Demonstrating strategies influenced the number of strategies used but not persistence.
  • Independently devising new strategies, not following instructions, was linked to greater persistence.

Conclusions:

  • Telling children strategies does not enhance persistence.
  • Encouraging independent strategy invention may foster greater perseverance in children.
  • Future research should focus on fostering intrinsic strategy development.