Curiosity and confidence show an inverted U-shaped relationship, peaking at an intermediate confidence level¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr1·q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q2 i? In Experiment 1, curiosity peaked at an intermediate confidence level (around 0.43), with a significant quadratic coefficient. → Sunae Kim 2025
Evidence¶
Sunae Kim 2025¶
Sunae Kim, Paul L Harris, Benjamin Néher. (2025). Curiosity can influence metacognitive processes. Metacognition and Learning (2025) 20:39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-025-09444-y
q2 · i? · causal · r1
Experiment 1 regression of curiosity on confidence P and P*(1−P), following prior analytical approaches (e.g., Baranes et al.; Kang et al.). The model gave "R2 = 0.21" and a significant quadratic coefficient b = 3.82, p <.001; the linear coefficient was also significant (b = −0.55, p <.001).
"The model provided R2 = 0.21 and a significant quadratic coefficient (b = 3.82, p <.001), with curiosity at its peak at an intermediate confidence level of around 0.43, confirming an inverted U-shaped relationship"
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
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- Effortful regulation is maximized at moderate levels of emotional and physiological reactivity and declines at very low or very high levels
- Yes/no feedback that participants were correct nearly quenched curiosity for correct answers, whereas without feedback curiosity peaked at moderate-to-high confidence — related
- Curiosity ratings are functionally distinct from subjective uncertainty ratings: uncertainty declines near-linearly with confidence while curiosity is inverted-U shaped — related
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Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
inverted-u-curiosity-confidence-relationship |
title |
Curiosity and confidence show an inverted U-shaped relationship, peaking at an intermediate confidence level |
description |
Curiosity and confidence show an inverted U-shaped relationship, peaking at an intermediate confidence level |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
weak |
newest_evidence |
2025 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-19 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — sunae-kim-2025 |
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