Measuring Epistemic Curiosity in Young

ChildrenJessica Taylor Piotrowski1

Jordan Litman2 Patti Valkenburg1

1 The Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam

2 Department of Psychology, University of South Florida

22 July 2013ISSID 2013 Conference

CcaM is part of the Amsterdam School of Communication Research / ASCoR

The Problem

• I and D-type EC manifests itself in early childhood …

• Yet, we currently have no way to measure these early expressions.

• Problems with existing measurements for I and D-type EC:– Developed exclusively for adults– Content of items inappropriate– Self-report nature inappropriate

• Inability to measure = little information about EC in early childhood

Epistemic Curiosity

the desire to obtain new knowledge expected to stimulate positive feelings of intellectual interest (I-

type) and

the desire to reduce undesirable conditions of uncertainty associated with feeling deprived of

information (D-type)

I-Type

D-Type

Develop and validate parent-report scales

of I- and D-type EC in Young Children (I/D-YC).

Study Aim

Item Development for I/D-YC

1. Literature review on early expressions of intellectual exploration

2. Adapt content of existing I- and D- type scales when possible

3. Develop new items for potential inclusion

Item Development for I/D-YC

I-Type EC

•alternating between novel sources of stimulation

•delight in encountering new things or people

•preference for novelty over making a detailed examination of familiar things

•E.g., My child has fun learning about new topics or subjects.

D-Type EC

•focused and sustained attention to and detailed inspection of sources of intellectual stimulation (e.g., toys)

•being bothered when something is detected as missing

•E.g., When presented with a tough problem, my child focuses all of his/her attention on how to solve it.

Validation for I/D-YC

I-Type D-Type

Sensation Seeking PositiveNo Relationship or Weak +

Shyness NegativeNo Relationship or Weak +

Inhibitory ControlNo Relationship

Negative

Hyperactivity-Inattention

No Relationship

Negative

Validation Hypotheses

Study Design– Cross-sectional survey

Sample– Parents with children aged 3-8 (n= 316; M = 5.30 years)

Measures– I/D-YC items (n = 16)– Sensation Seeking– Shyness– Inhibitory Control– Hyperactivity-Inattention

Method

Analytic Approach

Scale Development: •Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Validation:•Correlations and Partial Correlations

Scale Results (I/D-YC)

I-Type YC scale α = .85; D-Type YC scale α = .80χ2 (DF = 33, N = 316) = 82.75, p < .001, CFI = .96, RMSEA = .07, ECVI = .40

I-Type Items

I-Type Items

My child has fun learning about new topics or subjects.

My child is attracted to new things in his/her environment.

My child enjoys talking about topics that are new to him /her.

My child shows visible enjoyment when discovering something new.

When my child is learning something new, he/she asks many questions about it.

Response Options: (1) almost never, (2) sometimes, (3) often, (4) almost always.

D-Type Items

D-Type Items

When presented with a tough problem, my child focuses all his/her attention on how to solve it.

My child devotes considerable effort to trying to figure out things that are confusing or unclear.

My child is bothered when he/she does not understand something, and tries hard to make sense of it.

My child will work for a long time to solve a problem because he/she wants to know the answer.

My child carefully examines things by turning them around or looking at them from all sides.

Response Options: (1) almost never, (2) sometimes, (3) often, (4) almost always.

Validation Results

Partial Correlations Reveal:

I-Type D-Type

Sensation SeekingNo Relationship

Weak Positive (.13)*

ShynessNegative (-.30)*

Weak Positive (.10)*

Inhibitory ControlNo Relationship*

Negative (-.20)*

Hyperactivity-Inattention

No Relationship*

Negative (-.21)**in line with expectations

• Development of I/D-YC addresses important gap in literature.

• CFA resulted in a 10-item I/D-YC measure with acceptable psychometric properties.

• Future research: – Replication with different sample– Further evaluate reliability and validity (e.g., test-retest)

• Useful tool for researchers interested in young children’s intellectual exploration.

Discussion

Thank You

Jessica Taylor Piotrowski, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, University of Amsterdam

j.piotrowski@uva.nl

Funding Acknowledgement

The research reported in this presentation is supported by a grant to the third author from the European Research Council under the European

Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) / ERC grant agreement no [AdG09 249488-

ENTCHILD].