ASSOCIATION OF EPISTEMIC CURIOSITY AND COGNITIVE ABILITY IN YOUNG CHILDREN: PREFERENCE FOR FILLING THE INFORMATION GAP OVER NOVELTY

Abstract

Epistemic curiosity (EC) is the desire to acquire new knowledge. This study investigated the association between EC and cognitive ability by conducting two different measurements of EC: a report-based measurement using a parent report questionnaire, and a behaviour-based measurement using an exploratory task. In the exploratory task, we used an ambiguous toy that was not novel, but might stimulate EC, and a clear toy that was novel to determine which was preferred. The results showed that preschoolers preferred the ambiguous toy to the clear novel toy. There was a positive correlation between preference for the ambiguous toy and IQ (information subscale). There was a weak relationship between questionnaire scores and exploratory task performance. Cognitive ability (information scores) may support detection of the information gap which triggers curiosity-driven exploration. Each measurement (report-based and behavioural-based) can assess different aspects of EC. Report-based EC may be more indicative of children’s observed EC in daily life, whereas behavioural measurement in a structured setting may better reflect children’s cognitive abilities to detect curiosity-driven stimuli.