1
|
Ryan ZJ, Dodd HF, FitzGibbon L. Uncertain world: How children's curiosity and intolerance of uncertainty relate to their behaviour and emotion under uncertainty. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024:17470218241252651. [PMID: 38679795 DOI: 10.1177/17470218241252651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Curiosity and intolerance of uncertainty (IU) are both thought to drive information seeking but may have different affective profiles; curiosity is often associated with positive affective responses to uncertainty and improved learning outcomes, whereas IU is associated with negative affective responses and anxiety. Curiosity and IU have not previously been examined together in children but may both play an important role in understanding how children respond to uncertainty. Our research aimed to examine how individual differences in parent-reported curiosity and IU were associated with behavioural and emotional responses to uncertainty. Children aged 8 to 12 (n = 133) completed a game in which they were presented with an array of buttons on the screen that, when clicked, played neutral or aversive sounds. Children pressed buttons (information seeking) and rated their emotions and worry under conditions of high and low uncertainty. Facial expressions were also monitored for affective responses. Analyses revealed that children sought more information under high uncertainty than low uncertainty trials and that more curious children reported feeling happier. Contrary to expectations, IU and curiosity were not related to the number of buttons children pressed, nor to their self-reported emotion or worry. However, exploratory analyses suggest that children who are high in IU may engage in more information seeking that reflects checking or safety-seeking than those who are low in IU. In addition, our findings suggest that there may be age-related change in the effects of IU on worry, with IU more strongly related to worry in uncertain situations for older children than younger children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zoe J Ryan
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Helen F Dodd
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
- Children and Young People's Mental Health Research Collaboration, Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Lily FitzGibbon
- Division of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Poli F, O'Reilly JX, Mars RB, Hunnius S. Curiosity and the dynamics of optimal exploration. Trends Cogn Sci 2024; 28:441-453. [PMID: 38413257 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2024.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
What drives our curiosity remains an elusive and hotly debated issue, with multiple hypotheses proposed but a cohesive account yet to be established. This review discusses traditional and emergent theories that frame curiosity as a desire to know and a drive to learn, respectively. We adopt a model-based approach that maps the temporal dynamics of various factors underlying curiosity-based exploration, such as uncertainty, information gain, and learning progress. In so doing, we identify the limitations of past theories and posit an integrated account that harnesses their strengths in describing curiosity as a tool for optimal environmental exploration. In our unified account, curiosity serves as a 'common currency' for exploration, which must be balanced with other drives such as safety and hunger to achieve efficient action.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Poli
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Jill X O'Reilly
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Rogier B Mars
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sabine Hunnius
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Liu Z. The asymmetric impact of decision-making confidence on regret and relief. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1365743. [PMID: 38650908 PMCID: PMC11033447 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1365743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
When individuals make uncertain decisions, they often evaluate the correctness of their choices in what is referred to as decision-making confidence. The outcomes of such decision-making can lead to counterfactual thinking wherein alternative possible outcomes are contemplated. This, in turn, can elicit counterfactual emotions including upward and downward counterfactual thinking, which, respectively, refer to regret and relief. Decision-making confidence and counterfactual emotions have key effects on how individuals learn from the past and prepare for the future. However, there has been little understanding of how these experiences are related. For this study, 98 total adults were recruited with the goal of assessing the connections between decision-making confidence and sensations of regret and relief when completing a card-based gambling task. The results of this study suggest that decision-making confidence may reduce the intensity of relief while increasing the degree of regret experienced. These findings thus emphasize the important effect that decision confidence has on emotional processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zan Liu
- School of Education and Music, Sanming University, Sanming, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Pawar AS, Thorsteinsdottir B, Whitman S, Pine K, Lee A, Espinoza Suarez NR, Organick Lee P, Thota A, Lorenz E, Beck A, Albright R, Feely M, Williams A, Behnken E, Boehmer KR. Decisional Regret Surrounding Dialysis Initiation: A Comparative Analysis. Kidney Med 2024; 6:100785. [PMID: 38435065 PMCID: PMC10907211 DOI: 10.1016/j.xkme.2023.100785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Rationale & Objective Dialysis comes with a substantial treatment burden, so patients must select care plans that align with their preferences. We aimed to deepen the understanding of decisional regret with dialysis choices. Study Design This study had a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design. Setting & Participants All patients from a single academic medical center prescribed maintenance in-center hemodialysis or presenting for home hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis check-up during 3 weeks were approached for survey. A total of 78 patients agreed to participate. Patients with the highest (15 patients) and lowest decisional regret (20 patients) were invited to semistructured interviews. Predictors Decisional regret scale and illness intrusiveness scale were used in this study. Analytical Approach Quantitatively, we examined correlations between the decision regret scale and illness intrusiveness scale and sorted patients into the highest and lowest decision regret scale quartiles for further interviews; then, we compared patient characteristics between those that consented to interview in high and low decisional regret. Qualitatively, we used an adapted grounded theory approach to examine differences between interviewed patients with high and low decisional regret. Results Of patients invited to participate in the interviews, 21 patients (8 high regret, 13 low regret) agreed. We observed that patients with high decisional regret displayed resignation toward dialysis, disruption of their sense of self and social roles, and self-blame, whereas patients with low decisional regret demonstrated positivity, integration of dialysis into their identity, and self-compassion. Limitations Patients with the highest levels of decisional regret may have already withdrawn from dialysis. Patients could complete interviews in any location (eg, home, dialysis unit, and clinical office), which may have influenced patient disclosure. Conclusions Although all patients experienced disruption after dialysis initiation, patients' approach to adversity differs between patients experiencing high versus low regret. This study identifies emotional responses to dialysis that may be modifiable through patient-support interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aditya S. Pawar
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
- Community Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
| | - Bjorg Thorsteinsdottir
- Community Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
- Knowledge and Evaluation Research (KER) Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
| | - Sam Whitman
- College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ
| | - Katherine Pine
- Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ
| | - Alexander Lee
- Health Services Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
| | - Nataly R. Espinoza Suarez
- Knowledge and Evaluation Research (KER) Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
- VITAM Research Center on Sustainable Health, Québec Integrated University Health and Social Services Center (CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale), Québec, Canada
| | - Paige Organick Lee
- Knowledge and Evaluation Research (KER) Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
| | - Anjali Thota
- Knowledge and Evaluation Research (KER) Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
| | | | | | | | | | - Amy Williams
- Nephrology and Hypertension, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
| | - Emma Behnken
- Knowledge and Evaluation Research (KER) Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
| | - Kasey R. Boehmer
- Knowledge and Evaluation Research (KER) Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Kim S, Sakaki M, Murayama K. Metacognition of curiosity: People underestimate the seductive lure of non-instrumental information. Psychon Bull Rev 2023:10.3758/s13423-023-02404-0. [PMID: 37932580 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-023-02404-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
Curiosity - the desire to seek information - is fundamental for learning and performance. Studies on curiosity have shown that people are intrinsically motivated to seek information even if it does not bring an immediate tangible benefit (i.e., non-instrumental information), but little is known as to whether people have the metacognitive capability to accurately monitor their motivation for seeking information. We examined whether people can accurately predict their own non-instrumental information-seeking behavior. Across six experiments (Experiments 1A-1E and 2, total N = 579), participants predicted that they would engage in information-seeking behavior less frequently than they actually did, suggesting that people tend to underestimate the motivational lure of curiosity. Overall, there was no consistent statistical evidence that this underestimation was altered by contextual factors (e.g., the cost to seek information). These results were consistent with the theoretical account that it is difficult for people to make sense of the internally rewarding value of information in advance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sunae Kim
- Department of Psychology, Health, & Professional Development, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Gipsy Lane, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK.
| | - Michiko Sakaki
- Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Research Institute, Kochi University of Technology, Kochi, Japan
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Kou Murayama
- Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Research Institute, Kochi University of Technology, Kochi, Japan
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Yagi A, FitzGibbon L, Murayama K, Shinomori K, Sakaki M. Uncertainty drives exploration of negative information across younger and older adults. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 23:809-826. [PMID: 37100958 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01082-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
Although individuals generally avoid negative information, recent research documents that they voluntarily explore negative information to resolve uncertainty. However, it remains unclear (a) whether uncertainty facilitates exploration similarly when exploration is expected to lead to negative, neutral, or positive information, and (b) whether older adults seek negative information to reduce uncertainty like younger adults do. This study addresses the two issues across four experimental studies (N = 407). The results indicate that individuals are more likely to expose themselves to negative information when uncertainty is high. In contrast, when information was expected to be neutral or positive, the uncertainty surrounding it did not significantly alter individuals' exploration behavior. Furthermore, we found that uncertainty increased the exploration of negative information in both older and younger adults. In addition, both younger and older adults chose to explore negative information to reduce uncertainty, even when there were positive or neutral alternatives. In contrast to the age-related similarities in these behavioral measures, older adults demonstrated reduced scores in questionnaires on sensation seeking and curiosity, relative to their counterparts who were younger. These results suggest that information uncertainty has a selective facilitation effect on exploration for negative information and that normal aging does not alter this tendency, despite age-related reductions in self-reported measures of personality traits relevant to information seeking.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ayano Yagi
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Hiroshima Shudo University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Lily FitzGibbon
- Division of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Kou Murayama
- Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Research Institute, Kochi University of Technology, Kami, Kochi, Japan
| | - Keizo Shinomori
- Research Institute, Kochi University of Technology, Kami, Kochi, Japan
- School of Informatics, Kochi University of Technology, Kami, Kochi, Japan
| | - Michiko Sakaki
- Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- Research Institute, Kochi University of Technology, Kami, Kochi, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Fitzgibbon L, Murayama K. Counterfactual curiosity: motivated thinking about what might have been. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210340. [PMID: 36314158 PMCID: PMC9620751 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Counterfactual information, information about what might have been, forms the content of counterfactual thoughts and emotions like regret and relief. Recent research suggests that human adults and children, as well as rhesus monkeys, demonstrate ‘counterfactual curiosity’: they are motivated to seek out counterfactual information after making decisions. Based on contemporary theories of curiosity and information seeking and a broad range of empirical literature, we suggest multiple heterogeneous psychological processes that contribute to people's motivation for counterfactual information. This includes processes that are identified in the curiosity literature more generally—the potential use of counterfactual information for adaptive decision making (its long-term instrumental value) and the drive to reduce uncertainty. Additionally, we suggest that counterfactual information may be particularly alluring because of its role in causal reasoning; its relationship with prediction and decision making; and its potential to fulfil emotion regulation and self-serving goals. Some future directions have been suggested, including investigating the role of individual differences in counterfactual curiosity on learning and wellbeing. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Thinking about possibilities: mechanisms, ontogeny, functions and phylogeny’.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lily Fitzgibbon
- Division of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Kou Murayama
- Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
- Research Institute, Kochi University of Technology, Kochi, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
“I am regretful but I would not change my decision”: the dissociation between emotional regret and behavioural regret in children. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03588-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
9
|
The role of risk, regret, and rejoice in non‐instrumental information seeking. JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DECISION MAKING 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/bdm.2294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
|
10
|
Eskreis-Winkler L, Fishbach A. You Think Failure Is Hard? So Is Learning From It. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2022; 17:1511-1524. [PMID: 35580276 DOI: 10.1177/17456916211059817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Society celebrates failure as a teachable moment. But do people actually learn from failure? Although lay wisdom suggests people should, a review of the research suggests that this is hard. We present a unifying framework that points to emotional and cognitive barriers that make learning from failure difficult. Emotions undermine learning because people find failure ego-threatening. People tend to look away from failure and not pay attention to it to protect their egos. Cognitively, people also struggle because the information in failure is less direct than the information in success and thus harder to extract. Beyond identifying barriers, this framework suggests inroads by which barriers might be addressed. Finally, we explore implications. We outline what, exactly, people miss out on when they overlook the information in failure. We find that the information in failure is often high-quality information that can be used to predict success.
Collapse
|
11
|
How Are Curiosity and Interest Different? Naïve Bayes Classification of People’s Beliefs. EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10648-021-09622-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
AbstractResearchers studying curiosity and interest note a lack of consensus in whether and how these important motivations for learning are distinct. Empirical attempts to distinguish them are impeded by this lack of conceptual clarity. Following a recent proposal that curiosity and interest are folk concepts, we sought to determine a non-expert consensus view on their distinction using machine learning methods. In Study 1, we demonstrate that there is a consensus in how they are distinguished, by training a Naïve Bayes classification algorithm to distinguish between free-text definitions of curiosity and interest (n = 396 definitions) and using cross-validation to test the classifier on two sets of data (main n = 196; additional n = 218). In Study 2, we demonstrate that the non-expert consensus is shared by experts and can plausibly underscore future empirical work, as the classifier accurately distinguished definitions provided by experts who study curiosity and interest (n = 92). Our results suggest a shared consensus on the distinction between curiosity and interest, providing a basis for much-needed conceptual clarity facilitating future empirical work. This consensus distinguishes curiosity as more active information seeking directed towards specific and previously unknown information. In contrast, interest is more pleasurable, in-depth, less momentary information seeking towards information in domains where people already have knowledge. However, we note that there are similarities between the concepts, as they are both motivating, involve feelings of wanting, and relate to knowledge acquisition.
Collapse
|