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

Hearing01:31

Hearing

48.0K
When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.
48.0K
Perception of Sound Waves01:01

Perception of Sound Waves

4.7K
The human ear is not equally sensitive to all frequencies in the audible range. It may perceive sound waves with the same pressure but different frequencies as having different loudness. Moreover, the perception of sound waves depends on the health of an individual's ears, which decays with age. The health of one's ears may also be affected by regular exposure to loud noises.
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same...
4.7K
Sound Waves: Interference00:53

Sound Waves: Interference

4.2K
Sound waves can be modeled either as longitudinal waves, wherein the molecules of the medium oscillate around an equilibrium position, or as pressure waves. When two identical waves from the same source superimpose on each other, the combination of two crests or two troughs results in amplitude reinforcement known as constructive interference. If two identical waves, that are initially in phase, become out of phase because of different path lengths, the combination of crests with troughs...
4.2K
Auditory Perception01:17

Auditory Perception

1.5K
The auditory system is essential for sound perception, utilizing various critical structures. When sound waves enter the outer ear, they travel through the ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate. These vibrations are then transmitted to the middle ear, where three tiny bones – the malleus, incus, and stapes – amplify the sound. This amplification is crucial, as it ensures that the sound vibrations are strong enough to be conveyed to the inner ear. These vibrations then reach the...
1.5K
Language and Cognition01:27

Language and Cognition

881
Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
881
Interference and Decay01:16

Interference and Decay

609
Forgetting is a complex cognitive phenomenon influenced by several factors, among which interference and decay are particularly prominent. These processes explain why individuals often struggle to retrieve specific information from memory, leading to lapses in recall that can be observed in everyday situations.
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
609

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Agreements and disagreements with resource-rational contractualism.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same author

The Political Psychology of Economic Inequality.

Psychological science in the public interest : a journal of the American Psychological Society·2026
Same author

Levels of analysis for large language models.

Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences·2026
Same author

Random generation is what comes to mind in naturalistic settings.

Cognition·2026
Same author

Generated outcomes in risky choice reveal biased sampling and sequential dependencies.

Communications psychology·2026
Same author

Social Tinkering: The Social Foundations of Cultural Complexity.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2025
Same journal

Formal Modeling as Theoretical Glue between Laboratory and Naturalistic Studies of Memory.

Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science·2026
Same journal

Growing Technological Opacity and the Social Brain.

Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science·2026
Same journal

Bringing the Reading Sciences Into the Classroom: Insights for Phonics Instruction.

Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science·2026
Same journal

From Voice to Self: An Integrative Framework on Self-Voice Processing.

Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science·2026
Same journal

Sliding Into Silence? We Are Speaking 300 Daily Words Fewer Every Year.

Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science·2026
Same journal

Putting Emotional Memories in Context: The Constructionist Model of Emotional Memory.

Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 5, 2026

A Fully Automated and Highly Versatile System for Testing Multi-cognitive Functions and Recording Neuronal Activities in Rodents
09:13

A Fully Automated and Highly Versatile System for Testing Multi-cognitive Functions and Recording Neuronal Activities in Rodents

Published on: May 3, 2012

15.0K

Noise in Cognition: Bug or Feature?

Adam N Sanborn1, Jian-Qiao Zhu1,2, Jake Spicer1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Warwick.

Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science
|March 4, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Behavioral noise, often seen as a flaw, is actually a key feature of human intelligence. This research suggests cognitive noise, not sensory issues, drives decision-making and exploration of ideas.

Keywords:
cognitionnoiseperceptionsampling processvariability

More Related Videos

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

12.7K
A Protocol for the Administration of Real-Time fMRI Neurofeedback Training
07:05

A Protocol for the Administration of Real-Time fMRI Neurofeedback Training

Published on: August 24, 2017

13.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 5, 2026

A Fully Automated and Highly Versatile System for Testing Multi-cognitive Functions and Recording Neuronal Activities in Rodents
09:13

A Fully Automated and Highly Versatile System for Testing Multi-cognitive Functions and Recording Neuronal Activities in Rodents

Published on: May 3, 2012

15.0K
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

12.7K
A Protocol for the Administration of Real-Time fMRI Neurofeedback Training
07:05

A Protocol for the Administration of Real-Time fMRI Neurofeedback Training

Published on: August 24, 2017

13.7K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Computational Neuroscience
  • Behavioral Psychology

Background:

  • Behavioral noise is traditionally viewed as a nuisance, stemming from sensory or response system unreliability.
  • Existing models often simplify noise as additive, Gaussian, and independent, failing to capture its complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the true source and functional form of behavioral noise.
  • To challenge the conventional view of noise as a cognitive malfunction.
  • To propose an alternative framework where noise is integral to cognitive function.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of noise structure in perceptual and preferential judgments.
  • Characterization of noise distribution and temporal dependencies.
  • Development of a computational model based on probabilistic inference and local sampling.

Main Results:

  • Behavioral noise primarily originates from cognitive computations, not sensory or response systems.
  • Noise distributions are non-Gaussian, heavy-tailed, and exhibit long-range autocorrelations.
  • A local sampling algorithm model successfully explains the observed noise structure.

Conclusions:

  • The complex structure of behavioral noise suggests it is not a flaw but a feature of brain function.
  • Noise facilitates probabilistic inference by driving the exploration of alternative hypotheses.
  • Behavioral noise plays a crucial role in human intelligence and cognitive flexibility.