Low and medium Knowledge Confidence heighten curiosity, contradicting the predicted inverted U-shaped relationship¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2024 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? In an online blurred-picture experiment, both Not Sure and No responses on Knowledge Confidence positively predicted curiosity ratings compared with Yes responses, contrary to the information-gap prediction that curiosity peaks only at intermediate confidence. → Xiaoyun Chen 2024

Evidence¶

Xiaoyun Chen 2024¶

Xiaoyun Chen, Katherine E. Twomey, Miranda Hayes, Gert Westermann. (2024). The limits of curiosity? New evidence for the roles of metacognitive abilities and curiosity in learning. Metacognition and Learning. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-024-09407-9

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Linear mixed-effects model of 6000 trials from 100 adults rating 60 blurred images, with participant and stimulus as random effects. The article reports "Both Not Sure (β = 0.12, SE = 0.04, p =.001) and No ( β = 0.11, SE = 0.05, p =.041) responses positively predicted" curiosity relative to Yes; full-null comparison χ2 = 20.30, df = 3, p <.001, R2 = 0.40.

"Both Not Sure (β = 0.12, SE = 0.04, p =.001) and No ( β = 0.11, SE = 0.05, p =.041) responses positively predicted cutiosity as compared to Yes response"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Curiosity did not significantly predict recall accuracy in the blurred-picture learning task
• Yes/no feedback that participants were correct nearly quenched curiosity for correct answers, whereas without feedback curiosity peaked at moderate-to-high confidence
• The Not Sure state of Knowledge Confidence predicts better recall of object names, consistent with the region of proximal learning framework — related
• Curiosity and confidence show an inverted U-shaped relationship, peaking at an intermediate confidence level — reports the opposite
• Correctness Confidence linearly predicts curiosity, with higher confidence in a guess associated with greater curiosity — reports the opposite
• Curiosity ratings are functionally distinct from subjective uncertainty ratings: uncertainty declines near-linearly with confidence while curiosity is inverted-U shaped — related
• Only medium-level incongruity between individual knowledge and wiki information causes cognitive conflict that motivates equilibration — related