Shaking boxes for science

Hand holds a brown cardboard box of paper on a blue background People watched other people shake boxes for science. Here's why. When Johns Hopkins researchers asked hundreds of people to watch other people shake boxes, it took just seconds for almost all of them to figure out what the shaking was for. W hen researchers asked hundreds of people to watch other people shake boxes, it took just seconds for almost all of them to figure out what the shaking was for. The deceptively simple work by Johns Hopkins University perception researchers is the first to demonstrate that people can tell what others are trying to learn just by watching their actions. Published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , the study reveals a key yet neglected aspect of human cognition, and one with implications for artificial intelligence. "Just by looking at how someone's body is moving, you can tell what they are trying to learn about their environment." Chaz Firestone "Just by looking at how someone's body is moving, you can tell what they are trying to learn about their environment," said author Chaz Firestone , an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences in the Krieger School who investigates how vision and thought interact.