Learned Temporal Statistics Guide Information Seeking and Shape Memory

Emily Lang

doi:10.1037/xge0001122

Learned Temporal Statistics Guide Information Seeking and Shape Memory

2022-05-01

6

PRE

AI

DOI：10.1037/xge0001122

原文链接

原文求助

摘要

En 中文

Curiosity drives information seeking and promotes learning. Prior work has focused on how curiosity is elicited by intrinsic qualities of information, leaving open questions about how curiosity, exploration, and learning are shaped by the environment. Here we examine how temporal dynamics of the learning environment shape curiosity and learning. Participants (n = 71) foraged for the answer to trivia questions in two conditions that differed only in their temporal statistics. In one condition, the timing of information delivery followed a uniform distribution, while in another it followed a heavy-tailed distribution. We found that the two conditions elicited distinct responses in both behavior and pupil dilation: participants were more likely to wait for information and to later remember it in the uniform distribution. By contrast, participants showed greater surprise, evidenced in a spike in pupil dilation, when presented with the answers in the heavy-tailed distribution. Furthermore, pupil dilation was inversely related to curiosity and memory, suggesting that temporal uncertainty may interfere with the positive effects of curiosity on learning. Our findings demonstrate that the predicted timing of information delivery influences information seeking, memory, and physiological arousal, suggesting that information is best learned when it is both intrinsically interesting and presented within a temporally predictable environment.

Keyword:

curiosity

learning

memory

reward

Learned Temporal Statistics Guide Information Seeking and Shape Memory

摘要

期刊

机构

引用论文