Novelty, Age, and IQ: a Theoretical Look At Human Preference for Novelty

Abstract

The differences in preferences for novelty among school-aged children who varied in chronological age and IQ were investigated. The results indicated that children in the high-IQ group spent significantly more time responding to novel items than did children in the low-IQ group. Also, children in the high-IQ group devoted a significantly higher percentage of time responding to novel items, relative to total item-inspection time, than did children in the low-IQ group. A significant CA X IQ interaction was found, which indicated that older children with higher IQs exhibited a significantly higher mean percentage of novelty preference than any of the other three groups (i.e., low CA-high IQ, high CA-low IQ, and low CA-low IQ). Correlations between novelty scores and IQ were consistent with those found in the infancy literature. The findings are congruent with the theory that preference for novelty is a continuing phenomenon from infancy through childhood and beyond. We infer that the interest shown by human beings in unfamiliar elements of their environment is one of an unknown number of fundamental building blocks of successful adaptation. We further speculate that the preference-for-novelty phenomenon may offer the underpinnings of a parsimonious solution to the learning paradox.