Up: [[Curiosity]] Created: 2024-01-10 Nikolaas Tinbergen was (1907-1988) a Dutch biologist. His questions give four scientific perspectives, or domains, and are intended to explain the causes of any behaviour. He was building on the work of another biologist, Ernst Mayr. Tinbergen had different terms for his four questions: causation, ontogeny, evolution, survival value. I find the following domain headings much easier to understand. The original article is in the [National Library of Medicine](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4635443/) These could also be considered benefits of curiosity. ## Domain of Function Curiosity motivates us to acquire new knowledge and to learn. This lasts up to a point but when you have enough information, you’re satisfied with that and further information reduces further curiosity. An example is when you’re answering a trivia question. Curiosity is related in a U-shape to the confidence you have about knowing the answer. If you haven’t got a clue or if you are certain, you’re at the bottom of the U. You’re most curious when you have some idea about the answer but aren’t sure and therefore lack confidence. In a test of this by Kang et al in 2009, people were so determined to know the answer that they were willing to pay for the information even though they knew they could get the answer for free after the session. And there’s an argument that curiosity actually enhances learning because it lets us focus on useful information we don’t have yet. ## Domain of Evolution Information lets us make better choices, more sophisticated comparisons, and conduct more efficient searches. We acquire information through our [[Senses]], which have been a major driver of evolution for millennia. For example, we use gaze to learn about things important in our environment. Curiosity is information seeking that seems to improve performance so that makes it more likely to be an evolved trait. ## Domain of Mechanisms The mechanism of any behaviour is in the device that produces the behaviour, which in humans is the brain. Curiosity takes us to information that supports our internal values and we make better decisions and take more appropriate actions because of that. Curiosity also seems to activate learning systems in the brain. If you’re feeling curious you learn more, even about things you weren’t curious about. This was shown in an experiment where people were answering trivia questions and also being shown photos of unknown people’s faces. If they were curious about the trivia question, they also did a better job of recalling the faces. ## Domain of Development This domain is about development of a behaviour. Curiosity has been studied in infants and young children for a long time. They’re perfect for it because there’s so much for them to learn that they have to direct their attention towards just a small bit of their overall environment. In this way, curiosity is used to reduce uncertainty and there’s evidence that infants and very young children prefer familiarity over novelty — familiar faces, familiar toys — so they use their curiosity to render an uncertain situation more familiar.