Is Epistemic Curiosity Elicited by Proximal Knowledge ?

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K03248
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 10020:Educational psychology-related
• Research Institution: Nakamura Gakuen College
• Principal Investigator: Nogami Shunichi 中村学園大学, 教育学部, 教授 (30432826)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 知的好奇心 / 最近接知識獲得モデル / ズレ低減モデル / 知識量 / 興味

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this research project, we empirically examined the validity of the "proximal knowledge acquiring model" which does not require cognitive conflicts to generate intellectual curiosity, and considers the association of new information to existing knowledge as the core process of generation. In a survey for elementary school children, it was found that they preferred unlearned content to learned content regardless of their openness characteristics. In a survey of university students, we examined whether there was a difference in their viewing behavior between landscape paintings, which are easy to understand, and abstract paintings, which are difficult to understand. Although the validity of the proximal knowledge acquiring mode was not fully demonstrated, the issue of examining the interaction between task situation and individual characteristics became clear.

Free Research Field

心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

学習者は「分からないこと」の全てを「分かりたい」というわけではない現実を踏まえ，知的好奇心の生起プロセスとして認知的葛藤を必要としないモデルとして「最近接知識獲得モデル」を作り，その妥当性を検討した。調査結果はモデルの妥当性を支持せず，従来型のズレ低減モデルで説明できることを示した。一方で，開放性や好奇心といった個人特性によって対象へのアプローチの仕方に差があることや認知処理のしやすさ（ease of processing）と好奇心の関連が予想され，認知心理学および教育心理学における学術的課題を示した。