Curiosity and Exploration

I: Introduction.- I.0 Preface: The Study of Exploration.- Definitions and Distinctions.- The Functions of Exploration: A Psychobiological Perspective "Ultimate Causes".- "Proximate Causes".- The Contents of This Book.- 1. Functional and Motivational Mechanisms of Exploration.- 2. Development and Individual Differences.- 3. The Interconnections of Exploratory Behavior and other Behavioral Systems.- 4. Applied Perspectives.- Additional References.- I.1 Fairy Tales and Curiosity. Exploratory Behavior in Literature for Children or the Futile Attempt to Keep Girls from the Spindle.- Evidence of Curiosity and Exploratory Behavior in Fairy Tales.- Types of Exploratory Behavior in Fairy Tales.- Movement.- Handling and Sensual Experience.- Evaluation of Exploratory Behavior in Fairy Tales.- Curiosity as Subject of the Story.- Curiosity as a Part of Development.- The Right to be Curious.- Literary Culture and Children's Development.- II: Function and Motivational Mechanics of Exploration.- II.2 An Ethological Conception of Exploratory Behavior.- The Sensoric Part.- The Motoric Part.- The Action Readiness System.- The Releasing of Exploration in this Model.- Appetitive Behavior in the Behavior System of Exploration.- References.- II.3 The Neurobiological Foundation of Exploration.- Components of the Exploratory Behavioral System.- Exploration.- Orienting Responses.- Habituation.- Novelty and Fear.- Situation-Specific Behavior.- Other Topics Related to Exploratory Behavior.- A Neurological Model of Exploration.- General Anatomy of Cognitive Information.- The Hippocampal Formation.- Orienting Response and Habituation.- Exploration and Novelty.- Spontaneous Alternation.- The Amygdaloid Complex.- Orienting Responses and Habituation.- Exploration and Amygdala Lesions: Sensory Changes or Emotional?.- Sensory Changes.- Emotional Changes.- Conclusion.- Specific Transmitter Systems.- Other Structures.- Conclusion.- References.- II.4 Two Characteristics of Surprise: Action Delay and Attentional Focus.- The Experimental Paradigm.- Effects of Schema Discrepancy.- Duration of the Surprise Reaction.- Generality of Effects.- Number of Trials.- General Discussion.- References.- II.5 Interest and Curiosity. The Role of Interest in a Theory of Exploratory Action.- The Neglect of Content in Curiosity and Exploration Research.- The Research Perspective of General Psychology.- The Research Perspective of Differential Psychology.- The Theory of Action Research Perspective.- Unsolved Problems in Curiosity and Exploration Research.- A Concept of Object-specific Interests.- Interest Object.- Structural Components of the Interest-Oriented Person-Object-Relationship.- Special Characteristics of an Interest-Oriented Person-Object Relationship.- Interest and Exploration.- Interests Determine the Content and Direction of Diversive Exploration.- Interests Influence the Goal Orientation of Specific Curiosity and Exploration.- Interests Influence the Design of an Exploratory Action.- Interests Serve as the Basis of Content Continuity in a Sequence of Exploratory Actions.- Interests Determine the Nature and Orientation of Cognitive Construction.- Summary and Conclusion.- References.- II.6 Interest and Exploration: Exploratory Action in the Context of Interest Genesis.- The Interests of Individuals.- The Characteristics of Beginning Interests.- Structural Aspects of Early Interests.- The Interest Genesis Project.- Empirical Findings Relating to the Interest Genesis Model.- Typical Structures of Interest-Oriented Person-Object-Relations.- Global Developmental Principles of Interest Development.- Specific Components of Development.- Hypothetical Models of Structural Change.- Discussion - Interest Genesis as both the Result and a Cond-i tional Factor of Exploratory Behavior.- Exploratory Behavior as a Factor in Interest Genesis.- The Importance of Interests in the Development of Exploratory Behavior.- Conclusions.- References.- III: Development and Interindividual Differences.- III.7 The Relationship Between Attachment, Temperament, and Exploration.- The Balance between Attachment and Exploration.- The Influence of Infant Irritability on Exploration.- Exploratory Behavior in the First Year.- Infant Exploration: Relations to Home Environment and Security of Attachment.- Method.- Subjects.- Design.- Variables and Data Collection Procedures.- Results.- Effect of the Intervention on Infant Exploratory Behavior.- Effect of Intervention on the Quality of Attachment.- Discussion.- Explanatory Models.- References.- III.8 Interindividual Differences in the Development of Exploratory Behavior: Methodological Considerations.- The Behavior Assessment Approach.- The Development of a Parents' Questionnaire.- Analysis of the Dimensionality of the Parents' Questionnaire.- The Incentive-Reactivity Assessment Approach.- Development of a Puppet-Show Instrument Assessment Procedure.- First Steps in Validating the Curiosity Motive-Scores.- Conclusions.- References.- III. 9 Preschoolers' Exploratory Behavior: The Influence of the Social and Physical Context.- Children's Exploration in Natural Contexts.- An Empirical Study.- Method.- Subjects.- Procedure.- Data Collection and Coding.- Results and Discussion.- Exploratory Behavior of the Children.- Control Behaviors of the Mothers.- Children's Exploration and the Distance between Mother and Children.- References.- III. 10 A Developmental Analysis of Exploration Styles.- An Empirical Study.- Results.- Discussion.- References.- III.11 Individual Differences in Experience-Producing Tendencies.- Individual Differences in the Tendency to Explore.- The Category of Experience-Producing Tendencies.- EPTs and Intelligence.- A Recent Study of Curiosity/Exploration - Intelligence Relations.- The Need for Developmental Designs.- Moderating Influences on EPTs.- Implications and Conclusion.- References.- IV: The Interconnections of Exploratory Behavior and other Behavioral Systems.- IV. 12 The Active Exploratory Nature of Perceiving: Some Developmental Implications.- The Active Exploratory Nature of Perceiving.- Perceptual Search and Information for Action.- Developmental Implications.- The Task Specificity of Early Exploratory Activities.- Exploration and the Development of Action Skills.- References.- IV. 13 The Process and Consequences of Manipulative Exploration.- The Process of Exploration.- Different Models in the Exploration Literature.- A Comparison with Habituation.- Problems of Obversation: from Quantities of Behavior to Quantities of Information.- The Sequential Organization of Exploratory Behavior.- An Empirical Study.- Data Collection.- The Object.- The Sample.- The Coding Procedure.- Results.- Amount of Exploratory Behavior.- Amount of Information.- Interrelationships between Exploration and Information Acquisition.- The Regulation of Exploratory Action and Interindividuel Differences in Strategies of Exploration.- References.- IV. 14 Motivational and Cognitive Determants of Exploration.- The Nature of Exploration: The Five Factors of Exploration.- The Motivational Determinants of Exploration: The Cognitive Orientation of Curiosity.- Cognitive Determinants of Exploration: Patterns of Meaning Variables.- Cognitive Motivation and Cognitive Dynamics of Exploratory Modes.- Main Findings, Major Conclusions, and Some Afterthoughts.- References.- V: Applied Perspectives.- V. 15 Computer Systems as Exploratory Environments.- Simplicity in Human-Computer Interaction.- Exploratory Environments and Minimalist Design.- The "Simple is always Best" Hypothesis.- Complexity and Exploration Theory.- Definition of the Complexity of a Task Situation.- Design of Systems with adaptable Complexity.- The "Individual System".- Empirical Research.- Research Perspectives: Exploratory Activities in Error Situations.- References.- V. 16 Urban Development for Children Reexploring a New Research Area.- Psychologists' Curiosity about the City and its Children.- Special Features and Innovations.- On the Tradition of the Subject.- An Articulated Interest.- A City Discovers its Children. Herten as a Model.- Kinderfreunde "Children's Friends".- History.- Formal Organization.- The "Children's Friends" Office.- Activities of "Children's Friends".- City Map for Children.- Child-friendly Living.- Basics of Planning and Herten's Philosophy.- "Child-friendly Living": The Project.- A University and a Town as Partners - Child-centered Planning as a Coooerative Task.- On the Cooperation between the Town of Herten and the Technical University of Berlin.- The Four Stages of the Herten Design.- Outlook on Researchers Curiosity and Forms of Action Appropriate to Children.- Postscript.- References.- VI: Epilogue.- VI. 17 Applause for Aurora: Sociobiological Considerations on Exploration and Play.- References.- Author Index.