State Curiosity Research Articles

Intrinsic Rewards for Exploration Without Harm From Observational Noise: A Simulation Study Based on the Free Energy Principle.

In reinforcement learning (RL), artificial agents are trained to maximize numerical rewards by performing tasks. Exploration is essential in RL because agents must discover information before exploiting it. Two rewards encouraging efficient exploration are the entropy of action policy and curiosity for information gain. Entropy is well established in the literature, promoting randomized action selection. Curiosity is defined in a broad variety of ways in literature, promoting discovery of novel experiences. One example, prediction error curiosity, rewards agents for discovering observations they cannot accurately predict. However, such agents may be distracted by unpredictable observational noises known as curiosity traps. Based on the free energy principle (FEP), this letter proposes hidden state curiosity, which rewards agents by the KL divergence between the predictive prior and posterior probabilities of latent variables. We trained six types of agents to navigate mazes: baseline agents without rewards for entropy or curiosity and agents rewarded for entropy and/or either prediction error curiosity or hidden state curiosity. We find that entropy and curiosity result in efficient exploration, especially both employed together. Notably, agents with hidden state curiosity demonstrate resilience against curiosity traps, which hinder agents with prediction error curiosity. This suggests implementing the FEP that may enhance the robustness and generalization of RL models, potentially aligning the learning processes of artificial and biological agents.

The beneficial role of curiosity on route memory in children

IntroductionThere has been a growing interest in the role of innate curiosity on facets of human cognition, such as in spatial learning and memory. Yet, it is unclear how state level curiosity evoked by the current environment could interact differentially with trait curiosity, to impact spatial memory performance.MethodsWe assessed the influence of trait and state curiosity on route memory. Forty-two 10-year-old children with low and high-trait curiosity (20 Females; 22 Males) actively explored virtual environments that elicited varying levels of uncertainty (i.e., state-curiosity).ResultsAs trait curiosity increased, so did memory performance in low and high uncertainty conditions, suggesting that high-curiosity children can better recruit cognitive resources within non-optimal environments. Children with high compared to low trait curiosity also reported greater feelings of presence during exploration. Importantly, in environments with medium uncertainty, children with low trait curiosity were able to perform as well as those with high curiosity.DiscussionResults show that individual differences in trait curiosity influence route learning and these interact dynamically with state-curiosity invoked within different environments.

MODERATING ROLE OF SCIENCE SELF-CONCEPT IN ELICITING STATE CURIOSITY WHEN CONFRONTING A VIOLATION OUTCOME

A higher science self-concept may be required to stimulate state curiosity in incongruent situations, but there is limited research on the connection between science self-concept and state curiosity. The purpose of this study is to examine whether science self-concept moderates the process of arousing students’ state curiosity when they encounter results that violate their expectations in science learning. To achieve this aim, 410 fifth- and sixth-grade primary school students (194 female) were asked to solve science questions, and students who faced results that deviated from their expectations were classified as the violation outcome group (experimental group), while those who faced results consistent with their expectations were classified as the expected outcome group (comparison group). Then, the moderating effect of science self-concept on the relationship between science curiosity and state curiosity arousal in these two groups was verified using PROCESS macro. Results showed that science curiosity significantly predicted state curiosity in both groups. Notably, science self-concept had a significant moderating effect on the process of arousing state curiosity in the violation outcome group, where higher science self-concept led to a greater increase in state curiosity after confirming the correct answer. However, in the expected outcome group, the moderating effect of science self-concept was not significant. The implications of these findings for science education and potential directions for future research are discussed. Keywords: science self-concept, science curiosity, state curiosity, moderating effect, PROCESS macro

Exploring the predictiveness of curiosity and interest in science learning in and after class

AbstractScience learning takes place not only in the context of science class but also after class. Students' internal forms of motivation, such as curiosity and interest, affect the entire science learning process in both in‐class and after‐class contexts. In addition, both stable existing learner characteristics, such as science curiosity and interest in a specific natural phenomenon (phenomenon interest), and temporary emotional states, such as state curiosity, are considered essential factors in improving learning. Given the importance of understanding how learners' two aspects of motivational variables influence their science learning in different learning contexts, this study aimed to examine the extent to which existing learner characteristics, such as science curiosity and phenomenon interest, and temporary emotional states, such as state curiosity, predict science learning both during and following class and how these variables are related to exploration after class. To achieve this goal, an explanatory sequential mixed‐method approach was employed, based on a correlational design, with a total of 706 cases from fifth‐grade and sixth‐grade students (45.5% female). In the context of science class, relatively stable existing learner characteristics, such as science curiosity and phenomenon interest, and temporary emotional states, such as state curiosity, were positively associated with learning, and temporary states were more predictive of learning than existing characteristics. In addition, state curiosity was directly related to learning, whereas science curiosity and phenomenon interest were only indirectly related to learning, mediated by state curiosity. In the context of the after‐class, however, only phenomenon interest significantly predicted spontaneous follow‐up learning and was positively associated with students' continued learning. An interpretation of these results was discussed, as well as their implications for science education and future research. Our findings will enable more fine‐grained analyses regarding how curiosity and interest can predict learning in science.

Embodied preparation for learning basic quantum chemistry: A mixed‐method study

AbstractBackgroundHaptic feedback has been shown to be an effective facilitator of the learning of scientific concepts in a series of studies. However, little is known about the underlying salient learning mechanisms, which are activated when learning from haptic feedback.ObjectivesWe investigate the learning mechanism in a higher chemistry education setting, in which the students learned about the abstract concept of potential energy in a quantum chemical context.MethodsIn this work, we present a mixed‐methods problem‐solving prior to instruction (PS‐I) study with chemistry bachelor students. In an interactive quantum chemistry learning environment, the students explored the energetic profiles of nucleophilic substitution reactions and the corresponding activation barriers experienced as repulsion and attraction. We measured cognitive and affective mechanisms which have been shown to be activated in PS‐I designs, such as knowledge gap awareness, state curiosity, and positive affect as well as the learning outcome quantitatively and the learning trajectories qualitatively.Results and ConclusionsPlanned contrasts revealed a small hindering effect of the haptic feedback on the learning outcome. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data lets us attribute this effect to the lack of scaffolding of the haptic feedback and the spontaneous atomic movements in the simulation, which may be interpreted as a visual representation of force in itself.This work highlights the importance of accurate mappings of the haptic feedback unto the target domain and further delivers insight into the prior conceptions of chemistry undergraduate students.

Curiosity Causes Creativity? Revealing the Reinforcement Circle between State Curiosity and Creativity

ABSTRACTCuriosity has long been extolled as a seed for employee creativity. This causality is plausible when considering curiosity as a stable trait. However, curiosity can also oscillate as a transitory state, thus complicating the causal sequence between such state curiosity and creativity. To clarify the causal ordering and achieve a refined understanding of what role state curiosity plays in the creative process, we utilize a random‐intercept cross‐lagged panel model (RI‐CLPM) to estimate the reciprocal effects between state curiosity and creativity at the within‐person level. With a full longitudinal panel data across three‐time points (N = 400), we find that at the within‐person level, state curiosity has a positive lagged effect on creativity and creativity also shows a positive lagged effect on state curiosity. This research highlights that curiosity and creativity, in fact, mutually reinforce each other.

State Epistemic Curiosity in Organizations

Despite decades of research, epistemic curiosity and its consequences remain misunderstood. In a series of three studies, we develop a measure of state curiosity and explore the role it plays in organizations. We argue that curious states are proximal predictors to several relevant workplace outcomes. Specifically, we look at how state curiosity influences worker adjustment, including affect and task engagement, as well as worker behavior, including information elaboration, learning behaviors, resilience, and turnover intentions. In order to better understand these relationships, we investigate two types of state curiosity: interest and deprivation. We examine these dimensions in Study 1, demonstrating initial validation evidence of a new state measure of curiosity. In Study 2, we replicate our validation of our new measure, doing so using experience sampling methodology (ESM). Further, Study 2 finds these two states to be differentially related to positive and negative affect, job satisfaction, and task engagement. Finally, in Study 3 we expand these ideas in a panel investigation. For this study, we further examined the impact of the two dimensions of state curiosity on workplace outcomes, including task engagement, affect, information elaboration, learning behaviors, resilience, and turnover intentions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

A Phenomenological Investigation of the Multi-Componential Process of State Curiosity of Senior-Level Professionals

Anxiety, stress, dissatisfaction, and disengagement at work have continued to rise in the United States, due partly to global conditions of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. The persistent cadence of associated change requires individuals to develop an embodied integration of sophisticated cognitive, emotional, social, and meaning-making dexterity. In effect, in such conditions, individuals need curiosity. This phenomenological study examined the lived experience of curiosity of an individual within the context of receiving humanistic coaching based on a sample of nine executives. The resulting data revealed a biopsychosocial, multi-componential process associated with curiosity. Contextualizing state curiosity in this way may encourage researchers and practitioners to forgo the perspective that curiosity occurs in relatively discrete intervals and, instead, embrace the concept that curiosity states encompass experiential variability across the mind-body dimensions (e.g., cognitive activation, emotional intensity, somatic sensation) associated with distinct stages within a state curiosity framework. This multi-componential process view also suggests that the stages of state curiosity may involve a mechanism of linking separate states, thereby, influencing the intensity, sustainability and/or frequency of episodic curiosity. Finally, framing state curiosity as a multi-componential process may also help to bring a humanistic texturization, which could contribute to our intersubjective understanding of how individuals are curious.

Contribution of Epistemic Curiosity and its Relevance to Science Process Skills on Biology Prospective Teacher

The purpose of this study was to determine the contribution of epistemic curiosity (EC) to the science process skills (SPS) of prospective biology teachers. Ex post facto research design with research subjects 32 students of the third-semester biology education study program at the Mandalika University of Education. Samples were taken using the purposive sampling method. The instruments used were the State Curiosity Scale (SCS) to collect epistemic curiosity data, Student Worksheets, and the Science Process Skills rubric to collect SPS. The results showed that the magnitude of the correlation value or R relationship was 0.600. From the output, the coefficient of determination (R Square) was 0.359, this shows that EC is correlated with SPS. Meanwhile, in terms of the results of simple regression analysis, it was found that the variable X (EC) obtained the value of t-count = 4.103 > 1.697 t-table and sig. = 0.000 < 5%. This means that the EC variable contributes significantly to the SPS variable. The results obtained have not been able to describe the contribution of EC to each SPS indicator, so further research needs to analyze the contribution of EC to each SPS indicator

Age Differences in State Curiosity: Examining the Role of Personal Relevance

Objectives: Curiosity, or the desire for novel information and/or experience, is associated with improved well-being and more informed decisions, which has implications on older adults’ (OAs’) adoption of novel technologies. There have been suggestions that curiosity tends to decline with age. However, it was rarely studied under specific contexts, and there were relatively limited attempts to enhance OAs’ curiosity. Under the theoretical framework of selective engagement theory, we examined age differences of curiosity in the context of learning a novel technology and investigated the moderating role of personal relevance. Method: This study utilized a pretest-posttest experimental design with a total of 50 younger adults (YAs) and 50 OAs from Hong Kong to measure their trait curiosity, perceived personal relevance, and state curiosity toward robots after interacting with a robot. Results: OAs showed significantly lower trait curiosity than YAs, but OAs showed a higher level of state curiosity toward a robot than YAs when they perceived an increase in personal relevance after interacting with the robot. Conclusion: Findings replicated previous findings that trait curiosity declined with age, but they also illustrated the distinctions between trait and state curiosity in the context of aging and highlighted the potential role of personal relevance in enhancing curiosity of OAs.

A Study on Learner Variables Influencing State Curiosity and State Anxiety in Confronting Scientific Task Situation

A Study on Learner Variables Influencing State Curiosity and State Anxiety in Confronting Scientific Task Situation

Learning Effects According to the Level of Science State Curiosity and Science State Anxiety Evoked in Science Learning

Learning Effects According to the Level of Science State Curiosity and Science State Anxiety Evoked in Science Learning

Age Differences in the Affective Experience of State Curiosity

Is feeling curious a pleasant, anxious or mixed feeling experience? Dual process theory posits that curiosity results from an optimal level of knowledge gap anxiety. Yet, personal growth facilitation model suggests that people are intrinsically curious, which is associated with positive affects. While curiosity may be pleasant or anxious, it may also be both. In fact, compared with younger adults, older adults were more likely to experience mixed emotions. However, very few studies investigated age differences in affective experience of curiosity, so the present study utilized a time-sampling dataset to address this question. This 14-day time-sampling study included 85 younger (43 females, age 18-30) and 83 older adults (40 females, age 60-85) who recorded momentary curiosity and affective experiences three times per day. Linear mixed-effects analysis revealed a significant 3-way interaction between age group, happiness and anxiousness on state curiosity (□=.20, SE=.05, p<.001). For younger adults, results suggested that curiosity was higher when they felt either happy or anxious but not when feeling both. Conversely, for older adults, curiosity was higher when they felt both happy and anxious concurrently. In other words, older adults were more likely to experience curiosity as a mixed emotional state, whereas younger adults were more likely to experience curiosity as a pure emotional state. This finding adds to the current mixed emotion and aging literature and has important implications for future interventions to enhance curiosity towards novelties for people from different age groups.

The Development of Instruments for the Measuring Science State Curiosity and Anxiety in Science Learning

The Development of Instruments for the Measuring Science State Curiosity and Anxiety in Science Learning

CURIOSITY TOWARDS ROBOT: THE ROLE OF AGE AND PERSONAL RELEVANCE

Being curious has various physical, social and psychological benefits. However, theories like the socioemotional selectivity theory suggest that information seeking goals tend to be overshadowed by emotionally meaningful goals with age. Personality and social psychology research also found consistent decline of curiosity in later adulthood. In contrast, selective engagement theory propose that people simply become more selective on where they allocate their cognitive resources as they age. Particularly, older adults tend to invest in things that have personal relevance. Yet, few studies have explored the interaction between age and personal relevance in the context of information seeking tendencies. We conducted a pre-test-post-test experiment with 50 younger (age 19-34) and 50 older adults (age 60-78). Participants were invited to learn about a robot (Vector by Anki) and freely interact with the robot for about 30 minutes. Questionnaires were filled before and after the interaction. Our results confirmed previous findings that older adults showed lower level of trait curiosity than younger adults (F(1, 98)=21.94, p<.001, ΔR2=). However, older adults actually showed higher level of state curiosity towards robot than their younger counterparts (F(1, 96)=21.94, p<.001). Moreover, there was a marginally significant interaction effect of personal relevance (p = .06). Tukey’s post-hoc test revealed that older adults who perceived increased relevance (M=5.39) after the interaction were significantly more curious than younger adults who also perceived increased relevance (M=4.51, p=.02), but there was no significant age difference when they perceived decreased relevance. Present study offers insights on promoting curiosity among older adults.

Age Difference in Perceived Ease of Use, Curiosity, and Implicit Negative Attitude toward Robots

Understanding older adults’ attitudes toward robots has become increasingly important as robots have been introduced in various settings, such as retirement homes. We investigated whether there are age differences in both implicit and explicit attitudes toward robots after interacting with an assistive robot. Twenty-four younger and 24 older adults were recruited. Explicit attitudes were measured by self-reported questionnaires both before and after interacting with the robot. State curiosity toward robots was also measured as a momentary form of explicit attitude. Implicit attitude was measured via an implicit association test. Our results showed that (1) both older and younger adults had more positive explicit attitudes toward robots after interaction; (2) older adults had lower state curiosity than younger adults, however, their state curiosity would be up to the same level as younger adults when they perceived the robot with higher levels of personal association; and (3) the implicit association between robots and negative words was stronger for older adults than younger adults, suggesting that older adults had more implicit negative attitude toward robots. The results suggest that, despite older adults’ relatively more negative implicit attitude toward robots, personally relevant positive experiences could help improve their explicit attitudes toward robots.

Curiosities at war: the police and prison resistance after Mai ’68

It is too easy to say of Mai ’68 that the police are incurious while protesters are curious, that administrators are incurious and students are curious. A more honest assessment of these moments, striated as they are with social tensions, would identify at least two modes of enquiry and two sets of questions vying for dominance: the one located on the side of the status quo, the other on the side of change. In what follows, I provide historico-theoretical resources to justify that assessment. I first review Michel Foucault and Jacques Rancière’s theories of the police, identifying the incipient role of curiosity in their accounts both of resistance and of power and the police. I then turn to the Prisons Information Group (GIP), where I trace the clear clash between state curiosity as implemented by police and resistant curiosity as practised by GIP activists. Finally, in light of this clash, I explore implications for interpreting Mai ‘68 and Black Lives Matter as instances of curiosities at war.

Describing medical student curiosity across a four year curriculum: An exploratory study

Background: Intellectual curiosity can be defined as a desire for knowledge that leads to exploratory behavior and consists of an inherent and stable trait (i.e. trait curiosity) and a variable context-dependent state (i.e. state curiosity). Although intellectual curiosity has been considered an important aspect of medical education and practice, its relationship to medical education has not been empirically investigated. The purpose of this exploratory study was to describe medical students’ intellectual curiosity across a four-year undergraduate program.Methods: We employed a cross-sectional design in which medical students, across a four-year undergraduate program at McGill University, completed the Melbourne Curiosity Inventory as a measure of their state and trait intellectual curiosity. A Mixed Models ANOVA was used to compare students across year of training.Results: Four hundred and two out of 751 students completed the inventory (53.5%). Trait curiosity was significantly higher than state curiosity (M = 64.5, SD = 8.5 versus M = 58.5, SD = 11.6) overall, and within each year of training.Conclusions: This study is the first to describe state and trait intellectual curiosity in undergraduate medical education. Findings suggest that medical students’ state curiosity may not be optimally supported and highlight avenues for further research.

Intrinsic motivation, curiosity, and learning: Theory and applications in educational technologies.

This chapter studies the bidirectional causal interactions between curiosity and learning and discusses how understanding these interactions can be leveraged in educational technology applications. First, we review recent results showing how state curiosity, and more generally the experience of novelty and surprise, can enhance learning and memory retention. Then, we discuss how psychology and neuroscience have conceptualized curiosity and intrinsic motivation, studying how the brain can be intrinsically rewarded by novelty, complexity, or other measures of information. We explain how the framework of computational reinforcement learning can be used to model such mechanisms of curiosity. Then, we discuss the learning progress (LP) hypothesis, which posits a positive feedback loop between curiosity and learning. We outline experiments with robots that show how LP-driven attention and exploration can self-organize a developmental learning curriculum scaffolding efficient acquisition of multiple skills/tasks. Finally, we discuss recent work exploiting these conceptual and computational models in educational technologies, showing in particular how intelligent tutoring systems can be designed to foster curiosity and learning.

Curiosity generating advertisements and their impact on sport consumer behavior

The purpose of this study was to expand on the work of Menon and Soman and examine the impact of different levels of knowledge gap on the generation of state curiosity in a sport setting, and to investigate the impact of state curiosity on the intention to watch a novel sport. A total of 507 participants were recruited and ANOVAs, multiple regressions, and structural equation modeling were employed to examine the relationships. The results indicated that generated state curiosity was significantly greater for the group that viewed the moderate knowledge gap advertisement. Results also indicated that generated state curiosity had a significant mediating effect on the relationship between knowledge gap and the intention to watch the novel sport indicated in the advertisement. This study suggests that an increased understanding of the impact of curiosity and knowledge gap on sport consumers may be useful. Detailed implications for both practitioners and researchers are suggested.