| layout | page |
|---|---|
| title | MB7 |
| subtitle | Curiosity |
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Curiosity is fundamentally involved in how we explore the world and structure our own learning. Despite a recent renewed interest in curiosity in early development, there is limited consensus on how to define and measure curiosity, especially in pre- and non-verbal populations (for review, e.g. see Kidd & Hayden, 2015; Forss et al., 2024; Goupil & Proust, 2023). In particular, researchers focus on several different key information characteristics as triggers of curiosity--e.g., novelty, unpredictability, surprise, and uncertainty--making it difficult to understand how these factors comparatively guide curious exploration across age and culture.
We aim to develop a paradigm to tease apart the role of these factors in triggering curiosity and information seeking (quantified by measures such as choice, sampling rates, switch behaviors, looking time, decision latency, etc.; compare Altmann et al., 2025). To maximize participation and the meaningfulness of the collected data, we will consider offering several methodological approaches (e.g., eye tracking, touchscreen, table top) that can be selected or combined, and consider the feasibility of testing both the new paradigm and an established paradigm central to the discussions around curiosity in infancy (e.g., Kidd et al., 2012; Poli et al., 2020).
- Documentation: MB7 Collaboration Agreement
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- Elena Altmann, University of Göttingen, Germany [email]
- Nivedita Mani, University of Göttingen, Germany [email]
- Laura Lewis, University of California, Santa Barbara, United States [email]
- Hanna Schleihauf, Utrecht University, The Netherlands [email]
- Gert Westermann, Lancaster University, United Kingdom [email]
- Martin Zettersten, University of California, San Diego, United States [email]
We encourage everyone who is interested in the project to subscribe to the MB7 listserv and/or email the Project Leads ([{{ site.data.global.contact.mb7 }}](mailto:{{ site.data.global.contact.mb7 }})) to indicate your interest. To add your name to this list of contributors, fill out the [MB Dashboard form]({{ site.data.global.link.dashboard-form }}). Please note that access to infants/an infant lab is NOT a prerequisite.
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