Predicting the temporal and social dynamics of curiosity in small group learning

Abstract

Curiosity is an intrinsic motivation for learning, but is highly dynamic and changes moment to moment in response to environmental stimuli. In spite of the prevalence of small group learning in and outside of modern classrooms, little is known about the social nature of curiosity. In this paper, we present a model that predicts the temporal and social dynamics of curiosity based on sequences of behaviors exhibited by individuals engaged in group learning. This model reveals distinct sequential behavior patterns that predict increase and decrease of curiosity in individuals, and convergence to high and low curiosity among group members. In particular, convergence of the entire group to a state of high curiosity is highly correlated with sequences of behaviors that involve the most social of group behaviors - such as questions and answers, arguments and sharing findings, as well as scientific reasoning behaviors such as hypothesis generation and justification. The implications of these findings are discussed for educational systems that intend to evoke and scaffold curiosity in group learning contexts.