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

Decision Making: P-value Method01:09

Decision Making: P-value Method

6.8K
The process of hypothesis testing based on the P-value method includes calculating the P- value using the sample data and interpreting it.
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is proposed. The claim is based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to the claim  is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses:  a null hypothesis would be a neutral statement while the alternative hypothesis can...
6.8K
Purposive Learning01:22

Purposive Learning

442
E. C. Tolman emphasized the purposiveness of behavior — the idea that much of our behavior is goal-directed. For instance, employees who aim for a promotion work diligently to meet their targets. Tolman argued that when classical conditioning and operant conditioning occur, the organism acquires certain expectations. In classical conditioning, a child might fear a dog because they expect it to bite. In operant conditioning, a person might consistently work overtime because they expect a...
442
Decision Making: Traditional Method01:14

Decision Making: Traditional Method

5.1K
The process of hypothesis testing based on the traditional method includes calculating the critical value, testing the value of the test statistic using the sample data, and interpreting these values.
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is decided based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to this claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses, out of which a null hypothesis would be a...
5.1K
Decision Making01:20

Decision Making

889
Decision-making is a fundamental cognitive process that involves evaluating alternatives and selecting among them. This process can range from simple choices, such as deciding what to wear, to complex decisions, like choosing a major in college or a career path. The complexity of the decision often dictates the approach we use, which can be broadly categorized into two types: automatic and controlled decision-making.
Automatic decision-making is fast, intuitive, and relies on gut feelings...
889
Observational Learning01:12

Observational Learning

832
Albert Bandura's observational learning, also known as imitation or modeling, occurs when a person observes and imitates another's behavior. It is a quicker process than operant conditioning. A well-known example is the Bobo doll study, where children who saw an adult acting aggressively towards the doll were more likely to act aggressively when left alone, compared to those who observed a nonaggressive adult. Many psychologists view observational learning as a form of latent learning...
832
Hindsight Biases01:12

Hindsight Biases

4.2K
Hindsight bias leads you to believe that the event you just experienced was predictable, even though it really wasn’t. In other words, you knew all along that things would turn out the way they did. Can you relate this to the phrase "Hindsight is 20/20" now? 
4.2K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Anhedonia buffers the effects of early-life unpredictability on threat-reward decision-making.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

AI-Discovered Cognitive Models Reveal Novel Insights into Human and Animal Learning.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Developmental Change in Structure Learning Reflects a Shift From Recency-Based to Relational Prediction.

Developmental science·2026
Same author

Configurable Modular EEG Classification Framework with Multiscale Features and Ensemble Learning: A Reproducible Evaluation for Schizophrenia Detection.

Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same author

"Smart" harm reduction vending machines to improve public health: Evaluating the utilization.

Journal of substance use and addiction treatment·2026
Same author

Planning in the Brain: It's Not What You Think It Is.

Annual review of neuroscience·2026
Same journal

Corrigendum to 'Consonant, vowel, and tone cues in early wordform recognition: Evidence from Cantonese-learning infants' [Cognition 275 (2026) 106624].

Cognition·2026
Same journal

Identifying distinct sources of whole number interference in children's decimal comparison: the role of numerical magnitude and inhibitory control.

Cognition·2026
Same journal

Evidence for abstract spatial concept learning in young animals.

Cognition·2026
Same journal

Blurred lines or clear boundaries? Synchrony and social dominance shape domain-specific self-other processing.

Cognition·2026
Same journal

Knowability predicts curiosity and learning.

Cognition·2026
Same journal

Throwing good effort after bad: Evidence for a sunk-cost effect in cognitive effort-based decision-making.

Cognition·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 15, 2026

Operant Protocols for Assessing the Cost-benefit Analysis During Reinforced Decision Making by Rodents
07:05

Operant Protocols for Assessing the Cost-benefit Analysis During Reinforced Decision Making by Rodents

Published on: September 10, 2018

6.4K

Children leverage predictive representations for flexible, value-guided choice.

Alice Zhang1, Ari E Kahn2, Nathaniel D Daw3

  • 1Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.

Cognition
|October 11, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Children flexibly use structured knowledge for decision-making, even without costly mental simulations. Research shows early use of successor representations (SR) aids choice, offering a mechanism for how children guide actions effectively.

Keywords:
Cognitive developmentModel-based reinforcement learningReward revaluationSuccessor representationValue-guided choice

More Related Videos

New Variations for Strategy Set-shifting in the Rat
09:45

New Variations for Strategy Set-shifting in the Rat

Published on: January 23, 2017

8.6K
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

12.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 15, 2026

Operant Protocols for Assessing the Cost-benefit Analysis During Reinforced Decision Making by Rodents
07:05

Operant Protocols for Assessing the Cost-benefit Analysis During Reinforced Decision Making by Rodents

Published on: September 10, 2018

6.4K
New Variations for Strategy Set-shifting in the Rat
09:45

New Variations for Strategy Set-shifting in the Rat

Published on: January 23, 2017

8.6K
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

12.4K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Development
  • Neuroscience
  • Learning Sciences

Background:

  • Learners use mental models for flexible choices in dynamic environments.
  • Children and adolescents show weaker action planning compared to adults, potentially due to the high cognitive cost of mental simulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate how children, adolescents, and adults (7-23 years) leverage structured knowledge for flexible decision-making.
  • Examine the roles of offline replanning and successor representations (SR) in guiding choices across development.

Main Methods:

  • Three experiments assessed learning strategies in participants aged 7-23 years.
  • A reward revaluation task examined behavioral flexibility.
  • Direct tests evaluated the use of predictive representations, specifically the successor representation (SR).

Main Results:

  • Children demonstrated flexible behavioral updates using structured knowledge.
  • Offline replanning during rest did not significantly influence behavior across age groups.
  • Evidence suggests early-emerging use of the successor representation (SR) in children.

Conclusions:

  • Children effectively leverage structured knowledge for flexible choices, potentially using simplified predictive representations.
  • The successor representation (SR) provides a mechanistic account for how children guide choices without extensive model-based simulation.
  • Developmental differences in action planning may stem from the efficiency of cognitive strategies employed.