- Oxford Library of Psychology
- The Oxford Handbook of Human Motivation
- Short Contents
- Oxford Library of Psychology
- About the Editor
- Contributors
- Motivation and the Organization of Human Behavior: Three Reasons for the Reemergence of a Field
- Social Cognitive Theory and Motivation
- Cybernetic Control Processes and the Self-Regulation of Behavior
- The Role of Death in Life: Existential Aspects of Human Motivation
- Too Much of a Good Thing? Trade-offs in Promotion and Prevention Focus
- Motivation, Personality, and Development Within Embedded Social Contexts: An Overview of Self-Determination Theory
- Ego Depletion: Theory and Evidence
- Flow
- Implicit–Explicit Motive Congruence
- Curiosity and Motivation
- Interest and Its Development
- Achievement Goals
- Goal Pursuit
- Unconscious Goal Pursuit: Nonconscious Goal Regulation and Motivation
- The Motivational Complexity of Choosing: A Review of Theory and Research
- On Gains and Losses, Means and Ends: Goal Orientation and Goal Focus Across Adulthood
- Self-Enhancement and Self-Protection Motives
- The Gendered Body Project: Motivational Components of Objectification Theory
- Relatedness Between Children and Parents: Implications for Motivation
- Avoiding the Pitfalls and Approaching the Promises of Close Relationships
- Neuroscience and Human Motivation
- Evolved Individual Differences in Human Motivation
- Moods of Energy and Tension That Motivate
- Effort Intensity: Some Insights From the Cardiovascular System
- Motivation in Psychotherapy
- Motivation in Education
- Advances in Motivation in Exercise and Physical Activity
- Work Motivation: Directing, Energizing, and Maintaining Effort (and Research)
- Youth Motivation and Participation in Sport and Physical Activity
- Through a Fly's Eye: Multiple Yet Overlapping Perspectives on Future Directions for Human Motivation Research
- Index
Abstract and Keywords
Curiosity is an old, intriguing, and vexing construct in the psychology of motivation. This chapter reviews the major strands of thought on curiosity and motivation: (1) curiosity as a motive to reduce negative states, such as uncertainty, novelty, arousal, drive, or information gaps; (2) curiosity as a source of intrinsic motivation that fosters learning and exploring for their own sakes; and (3) curiosity as a stable motivational difference between people that leads to differences in knowledge, goals, achievement, and experience. The scope of psychological thought on curiosity defies a simple integration, but it offers inspiration for researchers curious about why people learn and explore in the absence of obvious external rewards.
Keywords: curiosity, interest, intrinsic motivation, personality
Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
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- Oxford Library of Psychology
- The Oxford Handbook of Human Motivation
- Short Contents
- Oxford Library of Psychology
- About the Editor
- Contributors
- Motivation and the Organization of Human Behavior: Three Reasons for the Reemergence of a Field
- Social Cognitive Theory and Motivation
- Cybernetic Control Processes and the Self-Regulation of Behavior
- The Role of Death in Life: Existential Aspects of Human Motivation
- Too Much of a Good Thing? Trade-offs in Promotion and Prevention Focus
- Motivation, Personality, and Development Within Embedded Social Contexts: An Overview of Self-Determination Theory
- Ego Depletion: Theory and Evidence
- Flow
- Implicit–Explicit Motive Congruence
- Curiosity and Motivation
- Interest and Its Development
- Achievement Goals
- Goal Pursuit
- Unconscious Goal Pursuit: Nonconscious Goal Regulation and Motivation
- The Motivational Complexity of Choosing: A Review of Theory and Research
- On Gains and Losses, Means and Ends: Goal Orientation and Goal Focus Across Adulthood
- Self-Enhancement and Self-Protection Motives
- The Gendered Body Project: Motivational Components of Objectification Theory
- Relatedness Between Children and Parents: Implications for Motivation
- Avoiding the Pitfalls and Approaching the Promises of Close Relationships
- Neuroscience and Human Motivation
- Evolved Individual Differences in Human Motivation
- Moods of Energy and Tension That Motivate
- Effort Intensity: Some Insights From the Cardiovascular System
- Motivation in Psychotherapy
- Motivation in Education
- Advances in Motivation in Exercise and Physical Activity
- Work Motivation: Directing, Energizing, and Maintaining Effort (and Research)
- Youth Motivation and Participation in Sport and Physical Activity
- Through a Fly's Eye: Multiple Yet Overlapping Perspectives on Future Directions for Human Motivation Research
- Index
