Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Causes of Social Behavior II: Cognitive Processes

Causes of Social Behavior II: Cognitive Processes

Cognitive processes affect social behavior by guiding how individuals perceive, interpret, and respond to social stimuli. These mental processes enable individuals to assess others' behaviors, attribute causes to their actions, and form expectations based on past experiences.Causes of Behavior and Social JudgmentsIndividuals determine the causes of others' behaviors by distinguishing between personal traits and external circumstances. For example, if a friend frequently arrives late, an...

Theory of Attribution I: Correspondent Inference Theory

Theory of Attribution I: Correspondent Inference Theory

Correspondent inference theory, proposed by Jones and Davis in 1965, seeks to explain how individuals infer stable personality traits from observed behaviors. It suggests that people attribute actions to underlying dispositions rather than external circumstances, particularly when the behavior appears intentional and socially significant.Voluntary Behavior and Dispositional AttributionAccording to this theory, individuals are more likely to attribute behavior to personal traits when it appears...

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the...

Theory of Attribution II: Kelley's Covariation Theory

Theory of Attribution II: Kelley's Covariation Theory

Attribution theory plays a crucial role in social psychology, helping to explain how individuals interpret the causes of behavior. One prominent model within this field is Harold Kelley's covariation theory, which provides a systematic approach to determining whether internal traits or external circumstances drive a person's actions. The model posits that individuals rely on three key types of information—consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness—to make these judgments.Consensus:...

Social Foundations of Self II: The Generalized Other

Social Foundations of Self II: The Generalized Other

According to George Herbert Mead, as children progress beyond the game stage, they develop a more comprehensive understanding of societal rules and norms. This cognitive and social development enables them to internalize the expectations of the broader community, refining their ability to regulate behavior.Consistent participation in organized activities is crucial in helping children recognize that their actions are not isolated but contribute to a more significant, interconnected group...

Implicit Personality Theories

Implicit Personality Theories

Implicit personality theory explains how individuals make assumptions about the relationships between personality traits, behaviors, and character types. When people learn that someone possesses a particular trait, they tend to infer the presence of other related characteristics, forming a cohesive impression. This cognitive shortcut plays a crucial role in social interactions and interpersonal judgments.Central Traits and Their InfluenceSolomon Asch's seminal 1946 study highlighted the power...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

People use fast and flat simulation to reason about new games.

Nature·2026

Same author

Evidence from formal logical reasoning reveals that the language of thought is not natural language.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Confident judgments of (mis)information veracity are more, rather than less, accurate.

PNAS nexus·2026

Same author

Contractualist moral cognition needs a legalese-of-thought.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026

Same author

Representativeness and response validity across nine opt-in online samples.

Nature human behaviour·2026

Same author

Conniving With Continuations: Representing Goals in a Domain-Specific Language of Thought.

Topics in cognitive science·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 19, 2025

The Modified Temptation Resistance Task: A Paradigm to Elicit Children's Strategic Lie-telling

The Modified Temptation Resistance Task: A Paradigm to Elicit Children's Strategic Lie-telling

Published on: April 6, 2018

Evolving general cooperation with a Bayesian theory of mind.

Max Kleiman-Weiner^1,2,3, Alejandro Vientós¹, David G Rand^1,4,5

¹Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|June 16, 2025

Summary

Introducing the Bayesian Reciprocator, a novel model of cooperation that uses a theory of mind to foster collaboration. This AI agent successfully promotes cooperation in diverse environments, outperforming existing strategies.

Keywords:

Bayesian models cognitive science cooperation evolutionary game theory theory of mind

More Related Videos

Real-Time Proxy-Control of Re-Parameterized Peripheral Signals using a Close-Loop Interface

Real-Time Proxy-Control of Re-Parameterized Peripheral Signals using a Close-Loop Interface

Published on: May 8, 2021

A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants

A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants

Published on: October 4, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 19, 2025

The Modified Temptation Resistance Task: A Paradigm to Elicit Children's Strategic Lie-telling

The Modified Temptation Resistance Task: A Paradigm to Elicit Children's Strategic Lie-telling

Published on: April 6, 2018

Real-Time Proxy-Control of Re-Parameterized Peripheral Signals using a Close-Loop Interface

Real-Time Proxy-Control of Re-Parameterized Peripheral Signals using a Close-Loop Interface

Published on: May 8, 2021

A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants

A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants

Published on: October 4, 2015

Area of Science:

Evolutionary Game Theory
Artificial Intelligence
Cognitive Science

Background:

Cooperation theories often use inflexible models lacking a theory of mind.
Self-interested agents struggle to achieve collective benefits without understanding others' intentions.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and evaluate a novel model of reciprocity incorporating a theory of mind.
To demonstrate the advantages of inferring others' mental states for fostering cooperation.

Main Methods:

Developed the Bayesian Reciprocator, a model that values others' payoffs based on inferred cooperation.
Utilized a probabilistic, generative approach to infer latent beliefs and strategies.
Tested the model in unique games and classic iterated prisoner's dilemma scenarios.

Main Results:

The Bayesian Reciprocator sustains cooperation through direct and indirect reciprocity.
It outperforms existing automata strategies in evolutionary competition.
Cooperation is sustained across a wider range of environments and noise levels.

Conclusions:

A theory of mind provides a significant advantage for cooperation in evolutionary game theory.
The Bayesian Reciprocator offers a more human-like learning mechanism for AI agents.
This approach facilitates cooperation in diverse and complex interactive environments.