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

Cause and Effect

Cause and Effect

While variables are sometimes correlated because one does cause the other, it could also be that some other factor, a confounding variable, is actually causing the systematic movement in our variables of interest. For instance, as sales in ice cream increase, so does the overall rate of crime. Is it possible that indulging in your favorite flavor of ice cream could send you on a crime spree? Or, after committing crime do you think you might decide to treat yourself to a cone?

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

A phantom decoy shifts wild forager decisions in a natural environment.

Behavioral ecology : official journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology·2026

Same author

Flexible self-protection as evidence of pain-like states in house crickets.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026

Same author

Assessing honeybee colony health using temperature time series.

Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·2026

Same author

A high-throughput and sensitive method for food preference assays in the argentine ant.

Pest management science·2025

Same author

Stakeholder co-design of sustainable urban pest management strategies.

Ambio·2025

Same author

Palatability of insecticides and protein in sugar solutions to Argentine ants.

Journal of pest science·2025

Same journal

Misinformation as strategy: Epistemic consequences and the undermining of shared truth.

Trends in cognitive sciences·2026

Same journal

Geographical psychology: Spatial variation in psychological phenomena and their consequences.

Trends in cognitive sciences·2026

Same journal

Multi-brain neurofeedback: what are we training for?

Trends in cognitive sciences·2026

Same journal

The developing vocal self.

Trends in cognitive sciences·2026

Same journal

Searching beyond decrements: Attentional guidance across the adult lifespan.

Trends in cognitive sciences·2026

Same journal

Looking into working memory through micro eye movements.

Trends in cognitive sciences·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 9, 2026

Key Elements of Photo Attraction Bioassay for Insect Studies or Monitoring Programs

Key Elements of Photo Attraction Bioassay for Insect Studies or Monitoring Programs

Published on: July 26, 2018

Valuation illusions in insects.

Tomer J Czaczkes¹, Tanya Latty²

¹Animal Cognition and Ecology laboratory, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

Trends in Cognitive Sciences

|December 6, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Insect decision-making is often irrational, deviating from economic principles. Cognitive and perceptual biases distort how insects value options, impacting their choices.

Keywords:

behavioural economics cognition decisions under risk decoy effect value perception

More Related Videos

Visual Classical Conditioning in Wood Ants

Visual Classical Conditioning in Wood Ants

Published on: October 5, 2018

Early Metamorphic Insertion Technology for Insect Flight Behavior Monitoring

Early Metamorphic Insertion Technology for Insect Flight Behavior Monitoring

Published on: July 12, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 9, 2026

Key Elements of Photo Attraction Bioassay for Insect Studies or Monitoring Programs

Key Elements of Photo Attraction Bioassay for Insect Studies or Monitoring Programs

Published on: July 26, 2018

Visual Classical Conditioning in Wood Ants

Visual Classical Conditioning in Wood Ants

Published on: October 5, 2018

Early Metamorphic Insertion Technology for Insect Flight Behavior Monitoring

Early Metamorphic Insertion Technology for Insect Flight Behavior Monitoring

Published on: July 12, 2014

Area of Science:

Behavioral Ecology
Neuroethology
Insect Cognition

Background:

Animal behavior often involves economic decision-making, weighing costs and benefits.
Rational choice theory predicts optimal decisions based on perceived value.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how cognitive and perceptual biases influence insect decision-making.
To understand deviations from economic rationality in insect behavior.

Main Methods:

Analysis of insect foraging and choice behaviors.
Modeling of decision-making processes incorporating biases.

Main Results:

Insect choices frequently deviate from economic rationality.
Cognitive biases significantly distort the perceived value of different options.
Perceptual biases also play a role in suboptimal decision-making.

Conclusions:

Insect behavior is shaped by cognitive and perceptual biases, leading to non-economic choices.
Understanding these biases is crucial for predicting insect behavior in ecological contexts.