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. The new Johns Hopkins work investigates a different kind of behavior: epistemic actions, which are performed when someone is trying to learn something. The other shows someone shaking a box to figure out the shape of the objects inside. Almost every participant knew who was shaking for the number and who was shaking for the shape. "What is surprising to me is how intuitive this is," says lead author Sholei Croom, a Johns Hopkins graduate student.
