Understanding Of Action Research Articles

Integrative child psychotherapy: discussion of a common core and unified theory approach

This paper explored significant advancements in integrative child psychotherapy in the UK, aiming to establish a common core and unified theory. Informed by infant-parent observations, attachment theory, neuroscience, and socio-cognitive developmental psychology research, the findings integrated clinical approaches from a developmental and family systems perspective. The objective was to provide a framework based on common factors and a unified psychogenesis theory, emphasising a therapeutic action model and understanding child development. The escalating prevalence and severity of mental health issues among children and young people (CYP) are highlighted, with factors like the COVID-19 pandemic, educational disruptions, increased digital reliance, and the current cost of living crisis contributing to the surge. The impact of these changes necessitates a holistic approach to mental health care, specifically by specialists in integrative child psychotherapy. Current data underestimates CYP mental health needs due to the absence of a national approach to data collection and analysis. Moreover, there is a lack of consensus on the assessment and case formulation in CYP mental health treatment. The diversity in practitioners' approaches, training, and understanding of child development, evidence-based practices, and CYP mental health support is noted. Critiquing the limitations of evidence-based practices, the paper argues for a systematic assessment and case formulation framework. It advocates for an evidence base that acknowledges the individuality of CYP, emphasising psychotherapy's dynamic, relational foundation. The proposed framework seeks to inform training and practice requirements, challenging the conventional mechanistic understanding of mental health treatment and promoting a more integrative and client-centred approach.

Il faut savoir désespérer où il faut. Pascal et le désespoir de la philosophie

Whether it's a question of "human philosophy" or of the Christian understanding of action in a regime of efficacious grace, for Pascal despair is always the effect of an error of appreciation. We overestimate our misery and powerlessness, we make them the whole of our being and our action, and so we consider ourselves only miserable and totally powerless. Despair should therefore be prevented and neutralised when it takes hold of the soul, never advocated or fed. Never - except perhaps in one case, and it is this case that we would like to address in this paper. A case that is all the more paradoxical because it is precisely in its proper place, where it is opportune and necessary, that despair appears difficult if not almost impossible to produce.

GOVERNMENT'S STRATEGY TO OVERCOME THE IMPACT OF FISCAL AND MONETARY POLICY ON THE INDONESIAN ECONOMY

The government's strategy was previously under pressure to improve the economy, one of which is the implementation of fiscal policy. This is because the Covid-19 pandemic in previous years had an impact on all sectors, especially the financial sector. Now with its fiscal policy adjusting between government revenue and spending. Part of the government's fiscal policy during the pandemic, namely the tax relief program aimed at easing the burden on taxpayers and reorienting the 2020 State Budget to increase government spending. Through in-depth research and analysis of the government's strategy for overcoming the impact of fiscal and monetary policies on the economy, it is hoped that a better understanding of government actions in encouraging inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the Indonesian economy will be provided.

Dual Effect of Carnosine on ROS Formation in Rat Cultured Cortical Astrocytes.

Carnosine is composed of β-alanine and L-histidine and is considered to be an important neuroprotective agent with antioxidant, metal chelating, and antisenescence properties. However, children with serum carnosinase deficiency present increased circulating carnosine and severe neurological symptoms. We here investigated the in vitro effects of carnosine on redox and mitochondrial parameters in cultured cortical astrocytes from neonatal rats. Carnosine did not alter mitochondrial content or mitochondrial membrane potential. On the other hand, carnosine increased mitochondrial superoxide anion formation, levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and oxidation of 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCF-DA), indicating that carnosine per se acts as a pro-oxidant agent. Nonetheless, carnosine prevented DCF-DA oxidation induced by H2O2 in cultured cortical astrocytes. Since alterations on mitochondrial membrane potential are not likely to be involved in these effects of carnosine, the involvement of N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the pro-oxidant actions of carnosine was investigated. MK-801, an antagonist of NMDA receptors, prevented DCF-DA oxidation induced by carnosine in cultured cortical astrocytes. Astrocyte reactivity induced by carnosine was also prevented by the coincubation with MK-801. The present study shows for the very first time the pro-oxidant effects of carnosine per se in astrocytes. The data raise awareness on the importance of a better understanding of the biological actions of carnosine, a nutraceutical otherwise widely reported as devoid of side effects.

Biological Synthesis and Characterization of Silver-Doped Nanocomposites: Antibacterial and Mechanistic Studies

The development of antimicrobial resistance has increased the prevalence of infectious diseases, causing a global health problem that accounts for over 4.95 million deaths worldwide annually. The side effects associated with current antibiotics prompt a crucial need to search for effective and safe antimicrobial agents. In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were prepared by chemical reduction method using silver nitrates as a metallic precursor and Croton macrostachyus bark aqueous extract as a reducing and capping agent. The nanoparticles were further functionalized using C. macrostachyus-based activated carbon (CAC) to generate nanocomposites (CAC-AgNPs). The nanomaterials were characterized by ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) absorption spectra and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. The antibacterial activity of the as-prepared nanomaterials was evaluated against an array of bacterial strains by microdilution method, whereas their cytotoxicity profile was evaluated using Vero cells (human mammalian cells). Antibacterial mechanistic studies of active nanomaterials were carried out through bacterial growth kinetics, nucleic acid leakage tests, and catalase inhibition assays. As a result, the as-prepared nanomaterials exhibited antibacterial activity against an array of bacterial strains (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) range: 62.5 to 500 µg/mL), the most susceptible being Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Cytotoxicity studies of the nanomaterials on Vero cells revealed that the nanocomposite (median cytotoxic concentration (CC50): 213.6 µg/mL) was less toxic than its nanoparticle (CC50 value: 164.75 µg/mL) counterpart. Antibacterial mechanistic studies revealed that the nanomaterials induced (i) bacteriostatic activity vis à vis E. coli and S. aureus and (ii) inhibition of catalase in these bacteria. This novel contribution regarding the antibacterial mechanisms of action of silver nanocomposites from C. macrostachyus-based activated carbon may contribute to our understanding of the antibacterial action of these biomaterials. Nevertheless, more chemistry and in vivo experiments as well as in depth antibacterial mechanistic studies are warranted for the successful utilization of these antibacterial biomaterials.

DEVELOPMENT OF PRACTICAL SKILLS IN FOREIGN STUDENTS DURING EDUCATION AT THE DEPARTMENT OF PROPEDEUTICS OF SURGICAL DENTISTRY

The goal of higher education is to produce highly qualified, competitive young professionals capable of innovation, self-improvement, and continuous development. The assimilation of theoretical material, the ability to analyze, search and process the received information are definitely important goals, however, the content of medical education cannot be reduced to only theoretical knowledge, but must ensure the mastery of practical skills. Considering the fact that the education of foreign students is carried out in a distance format due to the military situation in the country, mastering practical skills by these students has certain difficulties.
 Therefore, the analysis of the problems and prospects of the formation of practical skills among foreign students at the department of propaedeutics of surgical dentistry is currently one of the most urgent issues.
 The principle of mastering practical skills is laid down in the standards of higher dental education: educational and qualification characteristics, educational and professional program and is checked by standardized means of assessing theoretical knowledge and skills – "KROK-2. Dentistry", as well as during objective structured clinical examination in dentistry.
 Theoretical knowledge is checked during practical classes. They are carried out both by testing students and by oral interview, as well as practice of practical skills, which can be provided by working on phantoms, as well as participation in the examination and clinical analysis of patients in the clinical room.
 During face-to-face training, students visit the clinical room together with the teacher, participate in management patients, filling out medical documentation, assist, describe radiographs, and have the opportunity to choose anesthesia and tools for tooth extraction. The teacher demonstrates various manipulations, commenting and explaining each of them. After that, students practice practical skills on cranium, jaws, dummies, repeating after the teacher or with his help. Foreign students forced to study remotely do not have such opportunities, so we decided to create conditions close to real ones for them. The use of a laptop in the WiFi network allows you to use it in the clinical room and, in the same way as domestic students, demonstrate patient management: survey, inspection, basic methods of examination, choice of anesthesia and tools. However, the small area of the operating field, especially during intraoral interventions, does not provide a sufficient view when using a laptop and does not allow the teacher to show this or that surgical intervention in detail. To solve this problem, we use a phone that we synchronize with a laptop. The phone serves as a camera, which allows you to take a detailed picture of the operating field and broadcast the image to the screen for students. Thus, conditions become close to real ones. Students see all stages of surgical intervention with the teacher's explanation, have the opportunity to participate in the discussion during the patient's appointment. Demonstration of manipulation by the teacher is the first step to mastering practical skills. Unfortunately, remotely, students cannot practice and demonstrate skills, but an excellent command of theoretical material and an understanding of the necessary actions will help students in their assimilation in the future. Further, during classes to consolidate the material, a step-by-step discussion of operative interventions is carried out, which allows to interest and involve all present students in the discussion and to check the level of students' knowledge.
 Unfortunately, teachers are only able to visualize and comment in detail on the performing of certain manipulations. However, even a partial solution of this component in the form of justification and demonstration of the algorithm creates a stable argument for further study of surgical stomatology, and achievement of the ultimate goals of training a dentist.

(Invited) Computational Predictions of Site-Dependent Reactivities for Complex Reactions in Confinement

It is well known that the relatively high overpotentials for oxygen evolution reactions arise from similar binding energies for HO* and HOO* intermediates that tend to move in lockstep on different catalysts. A strategy to break this scaling limitation is through differential stabilization of the two intermediates by engineering the reaction environment. Nanoporous materials such as zeolites and metal-organic frameworks provide such a possibility through their well-defined pore space that presents microscopically tunable reaction environments. Yet the predictive understanding of catalytic actions in these heterogeneous catalysts requires the ability to describe not only the electronic structure at the active site, but also how the extended environment interacts with the reacting species through individually weak yet collectively significant non-covalent interactions. In this talk, we present a new computational procedure that couples quantum-chemical methods and forcefield-based sampling to enable a consistent calculation of local activation energies for articulated reactants. As a first application, we studied hydrocarbon reactions in four different zeolites and showed how the method allows for the estimation of transition-state entropy and for the systematic calculation of site-dependent activation energies. The latter can be used to derive rigorous ensemble-averaged barriers for comparison with experiments, as well as guiding future strategies for controlling Al distributions during zeolite synthesis.

Targeting Mitochondrial ATP-Synthase: Evolving Role of Chromium as a Regulator of Carbohydrate and Fat Metabolism.

The micronutrient trivalent chromium, 3 + (Cr(III)), is postulated to play a role in carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism. Although the mechanisms by which chromium mediates its actions are largely unknown, previous studies have suggested that pharmacological doses of chromium improve cardiometabolic symptoms by augmenting carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) was among the many mechanisms proposed to explain the salutary actions of chromium on carbohydrate metabolism. However, the molecular pathways leading to the activation of AMPK by chromium remained elusive. In an elegant series of studies, Sun and coworkers recently demonstrated that chromium augments AMPK activation by binding to the beta-subunit of ATP synthase and inhibiting its enzymatic activity. This mini-review attempts to trace the evolving understanding of the molecular mechanisms of chromium leading to the hitherto novel pathway unraveled by Sun and coworkers and its potential implication to our understanding of the biological actions of chromium.

Connective action in Myanmar: a mixed-method analysis of Spring Revolution

ABSTRACT While scholars have studied democratic backsliding in the West, rapid democratic backsliding in the Global South is relatively underexplored, and the role of social media is unclear. Through a mixed-methods analysis of pro and anti-military Facebook and Telegram posts and offline protests and state violence in the backsliding democracy of Myanmar, our research expands current understandings of connective action in the Global South. Supported by both qualitative and quantitative data, we find that the interaction between offline state violence and offline protests is mediated by engagement on Facebook and Telegram, and thus that social media in Myanmar is integral to democratic social movements against the authoritarian state.

The role of mirror system in influencing the valence evaluation of words: a TMS study

The mirror neuron system (MNS) has been a captivating area of research since its discovery in macaque monkeys [1]. Researchers have established the role and presence of the human auditory mirror system in both empathy [2] and musical creativity [3]. As well, the mirror system allows to learn new behaviors by observation, facilitating knowledge acquisition and action understanding. In addition, research has indicated the influence of stimulus valence on the human MNS [4]. The human brain is sensitive to the positive valence of words, and this reactivity may vary with the strength of the valence compared to negative words. Additionally, it can perceive differences in valence for negative stimuli and words. However, what about emotional words that are auditory? Do these words’ valence, whether positive, negative, or neutral, impact auditory mirror neurons and cortical excitability? The study examines how auditory words of different valences affect the MNS and cortical activity. This novel approach uses auditory stimuli to examine the role of mirror neurons in neuromodulation through a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocol, which has not been done in previous investigations. The results of this study suggest that both positive and negative words will induce greater excitability [4], as evidenced by motor evoked potentials. The results of this study will have broad applications. Firstly, it will offer a new contribution to the investigation of mirror neurons through TMS protocol. Secondly, inferences can be drawn and applied in the field of therapeutics, where language is used as a tool to mediate the process. In general, it will increase personal awareness of language in daily communication, leading to an enhanced communication process. Furthermore, the study’s findings imply the existence of auditory mirror neurons and their pivotal role in comprehending the emotional valence of different words, thereby influencing our feelings. This will advance our understanding of the human brain and empower us to make informed decisions. The study is being conducted with the HSE Automated system for non-invasive brain stimulation, which allows for simultaneous recording of brain activity and eye movement.

The philosophical-theological notion of Gegenwart: its adoption by Hans Jonas and its historical development

Abstract Gegenwart is a German word which can be translated into English with the words Presence and/or Present in the “here and now,” but it can also imply the notion of “timelessness.” Different philosophers and theologians have used this word but I will argue that the richness of this word has often been “lost in translation” and thus the connotations of this German term need tobe explored in more detail to fully grasp what the authors intended to express when they used this word. As a case study, I will focus on how the famous thinker Hans Jonas uses this word in his writings showing the strong correlation with his understanding of good human actions performed before God, in agreement with his ethical approach built on the principle of human responsibility. This article also aims to illustrate the historical development of the concept of Gegenwart. This task will be achieved by analysing how several scholars (contemporaries of or preceding Jonas) have used the concept of Gegenwart over different periods of time and how this ultimately influenced Jonas.

Trust in government moderates the association between fear of COVID-19 as well as empathic concern and preventive behaviour

With the COVID-19 pandemic, behavioural scientists aimed to illuminate reasons why people comply with (or not) large-scale cooperative activities. Here we investigated the motives that underlie support for COVID-19 preventive behaviours in a sample of 12,758 individuals from 34 countries. We hypothesized that the associations of empathic prosocial concern and fear of disease with support towards preventive COVID-19 behaviours would be moderated by trust in the government. Results suggest that the association between fear of disease and support for COVID-19 preventive behaviours was strongest when trust in the government was weak (both at individual- and country-level). Conversely, the association with empathic prosocial concern was strongest when trust in the government was high, but this moderation was only found at individual-level scores of governmental trust. We discuss how motivations may be shaped by socio-cultural context, and outline how findings may contribute to a better understanding of collective action during global crises.

K-12 trade books’ representation of earthquake safety and protective actions: A content analysis

Meaningful learning resources for earthquake safety and survival have become an increasingly important topic among geoscientists, especially educators and researchers. Various members of the public, especially K-12 (ages 5–18) learners, continue to depend on scientific trade books available at their local public and school libraries for information about earthquake concepts. To our knowledge, no research has empirically examined how trade books represent earthquake safety and survival actions. In this research, we combine an iterative qualitative inductive and deductive analysis to explore the representation of earthquake safety and protective actions in 50 trade books. We categorize these actions into time-based practices related to preparedness before an earthquake, protective actions during an earthquake, and recovery after an earthquake. These trade books emphasize preparedness by means of building earthquake-resistant structures and urban planning, and efforts toward community resilience and keeping home supplies. The recommended personal protective action during an earthquake in the United States (“Drop, Cover, and Hold On”) is emphasized in the majority of the trade books, as well as other protective actions related to emotional actions and current technological automated actions such as earthquake early warning systems. Finally, the books highlight actions such as damage evaluation and support as ways to recover after an earthquake. Our findings highlight the issues between accepted earthquake safety and survival actions and the limited and/or inaccurate knowledge represented in some trade books. We provide interpretations of how presentation of limited or inaccurate information may increase confusion about appropriate protective actions. The inclusion of accepted and recommended protective actions in future trade books and the use of earthquake drills in public libraries as a supplement for trade book users may improve understanding and implementation of appropriate actions. We further demonstrate the potential of trade book contents in fostering earthquake education through library-community partnerships.

What is in an action? Preschool children predict that agents take previous paths and not previous goals.

Developmental science has experienced a vivid debate on whether young children prioritize goals over means in their prediction of others' actions. Influential developmental theories highlight the role of goal objects for action understanding. Yet, recent infant studies report evidence for the opposite. The empirical evidence is therefore inconclusive. The current study advanced this debate by assessing preschool children's verbal predictions of others' actions. In five experiments (N=302), we investigated whether preschool children and adults predict agents to move towards their previous goal (that is, show goal-related predictions) or predict agents to move along the same movement path that they pursued before. While Experiments 1a, 1b and 1c presented young children and adults with animated agents, Experiments 2a and 2b presented participants with human grasping action. An integrative analysis across experiments revealed that children were more likely to predict the agent to move along the same movement path, Z=-4.574, p ≤ 0.0001 (r=0.304). That is, preschool children were more likely to predict that agents would move along the same trajectory even though this action would lead to a new goal object. Thus, our findings suggest that young children's action prediction relies on the detection of spatial and movement information. Overall, we discuss our findings in terms of theoretical frameworks that conceive of action understanding as an umbrella term that comprises different forms and facets in which humans understand others' actions. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: We investigated whether preschool children predict agents to move towards their previous goal or to move along the same movement path that they pursued before. Unlike adults, preschool children predicted that agents would move along the same trajectory even though this action would lead to a new goal. Adults' goal-based predictions were affected from contextual details, whereas children systematically made path-based predictions. Young children's action prediction relies on the detection of spatial and movement information.

School Leaders and Transphobia: Direct, Facilitative, Accommodative, and Resistant Forms of Gender-Based Bias and Bullying

Purpose: If PK12 administrators aspire to interrupt bias-based bullying, they need to understand their role in perpetuating structural and social inequality. The purpose of this study was to examine administrators’: 1) awareness of gender-based bullying, 2) initial intentions to address bullying, and 3) actions that interrupted or perpetuated gender-based bullying. Methods: This qualitative study used a purposeful sample U.S. court cases and 36 interviews with administrators and policy consultants to explore PK12 leaders’ understanding of gender-based bullying and actions to disrupt bullying. Findings: Our findings provide a more expansive definition of administrative bullying and brings attention to the personal complicity of educational leaders in perpetuating gender-based bullying. Administrators in this study modeled support for bullying through each of these four types of bullying – by direct action, facilitated support, accommodating external stakeholders, and resisting efforts to educate themselves or others on issues related to gender-based bullying. All of these approaches allow bias and bullying to continue. The study also reveals how some leaders interrupt bullying by collaborating with students, parents, and community-based organizations. Implications: Policymakers, leadership preparation instructors, and PK12 administrators may be interested in how administrative behaviors perpetuate gender-based bullying. A lack of knowledge about leaders’ personal complicity in bullying and about gender-diversity fundamentally interrupts two of the main roles of PK-12 leaders: implementing policies and leading instructional practices. The results of the study suggest the need for additional policies, procedures, and training to support leaders committed to interrupting gender-based bullying.

Heterogeneity in Extended Reality Influences Procedural Knowledge Gain and Operation Training

Extended reality (XR) is a general term for virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). By converting abstract digital expressions into intelligent feedback through figures, one can effectively compensate for the poor performance of traditional learning in deep cognitive processing and operational skills training. However, the extant results are uncertain, and only a limited number of studies have investigated the influence mechanism of heterogeneity among VR, AR, and MR on procedural knowledge learning, higher-level presence and generative cognitive processing, higher-quality operational behaviour and knowledge transfer. This study explored and analysed the influence of XR heterogeneity on procedural knowledge gain and operation training. Participants (n = 127) were recruited from among junior undergraduate students majoring in rail traffic signal and control. Based on the procedural disassembly and assembly of the ZD6 electric switch machine, an XR pre-training system and a 3D-printed combined virtual-real procedural training system were developed to collect three types of data regarding knowledge gain, procedural training and a set of questionnaires. Subsequently, a one-way analysis of variance was conducted with XR as the moderator variable. The results indicate that fully immersive VR is more conducive to procedural operation training; however, space and real factors must be considered. AR is consistent with the learner's operating habits, but the corresponding lack of immersion and interactivity restricts the improvement of procedural learning effects. MR multimodal perception leads to an increase in cognitive load, but moderate cognitive pressure is conducive to the cultivation of procedural cognition skills. Furthermore, this study proposes suggestions for using XR to intensify the perception and understanding of procedural cognitive actions.

Critical datafication literacy – a framework for educating about datafication

PurposeIn light of a need for more critical education about datafication, this paper aims to develop a framework for critical datafication literacy that is grounded in theoretical and empirical research. The framework draws upon existing critical data literacies, an in-depth analysis of three well-established educational approaches – media literacy, the German “(politische) Bildung” and Freirean “critical pedagogy” – and empirical analyses of online educational resources about datafication.Design/methodology/approachThe study interconnects theoretical analyses with an empirical mixed methods investigation that includes expert interviews with creators of online educational resources about datafication and a qualitative survey with educators interested in teaching about data technologies.FindingsThe research identified novel findings on the goals of resource creators and educators, such as a focus on empowering and emancipatory approaches, fostering systemic understanding of datafication and encouraging collective action. Such perspectives are rare in existing critical data literacy conceptualisations but show resemblance to traditional education scholarship. This highlights how much can be learnt from practitioners and from these more established educational approaches. Based on these findings, a framework for critical datafication literacy is suggested that aims for systemic understanding of datafication, encouraging critical thinking and enabling learners to make enlightened choices and take different forms of action.Originality/valueThe study is unique in its interconnection of theoretical and empirical research, and it advances previous research by suggesting a grounded framework for critical datafication literacy.

The forms of climate action

AbstractScientific research on the mechanisms to address global warming and its consequences continues to proliferate in the context of an accelerating climate emergency. The concept of climate action includes multiple meanings, and several types of actors employ its use to manage the crisis. The term has evolved to incorporate many of the suggested strategies to combat global warming offered by international bodies, states, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, and social movements. The present work offers a classification scheme to build a shared understanding of climate action through a lens of environmental justice and just transitions developed by sociologists and others. The classification system includes major institutional and noninstitutional forms of climate action. By identifying the primary forms of climate action, analysts, scholars, policymakers, and activists can better determine levels of success and how different forms of climate action may or may not complement one another in the search for equitable solutions in turning back the rapid heating of the planet.

Mapping the landscape of water and society research: Promising combinations of compatible and complementary disciplines

AbstractCoupled human‐water systems (CHWS) are diverse and have been studied across a wide variety of disciplines. Integrating multiple disciplinary perspectives on CHWS provides a comprehensive and actionable understanding of these complex systems. While interdisciplinary integration has often remained elusive, specific combinations of disciplines might be comparably easier to integrate (compatible), and/or their combination might be particularly likely to uncover previously unobtainable insights (complementary). This paper systematically identifies such promising combinations by mapping disciplines along a common set of topical, philosophical, and methodological dimensions. It also identifies key challenges and lessons for multidisciplinary research teams seeking to integrate highly promising (complementary) but poorly compatible disciplines. Applied to eight disciplines that span the environmental physical sciences and the quantitative and qualitative social sciences, we found that promising combinations of disciplines identified by the typology broadly reproduce patterns of recent interdisciplinary collaborative research revealed by a bibliometric analysis. We also found that some disciplines are centrally located within the typology by being compatible and complementary to multiple other disciplines along distinct dimensions. This points to the potential for these disciplines to act as catalysts for wider interdisciplinary integration.This article is categorized under: Engineering Water > Methods Human Water > Methods Science of Water > Methods

Seeing and understanding epistemic actions.

Many actions have instrumental aims, in which we move our bodies to achieve a physical outcome in the environment. However, we also perform actions with epistemic aims, in which we move our bodies to acquire information and learn about the world. A large literature on action recognition investigates how observers represent and understand the former class of actions; but what about the latter class? Can one person tell, just by observing another person's movements, what they are trying to learn? Here, five experiments explore epistemic action understanding. We filmed volunteers playing a "physics game" consisting of two rounds: Players shook an opaque box and attempted to determine i) the number of objects hidden inside, or ii) the shape of the objects inside. Then, independent subjects watched these videos and were asked to determine which videos came from which round: Who was shaking for number and who was shaking for shape? Across several variations, observers successfully determined what an actor was trying to learn, based only on their actions (i.e., how they shook the box)-even when the box's contents were identical across rounds. These results demonstrate that humans can infer epistemic intent from physical behaviors, adding a new dimension to research on action understanding.