scholarly journals Testing the Information-Seeking Theory of Openness/Intellect

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayley Jach ◽  
Luke Smillie
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Value Of Information ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Recent Theory ◽  
Decision Science ◽  
New Information ◽  
Uncertainty Intolerance ◽  
Reward Value ◽  
Domain Level

Why are open people open? A recent theory suggests that openness/intellect reflects sensitivity to the reward value of information, but so far this has undergone few direct tests. To assess preferences for information, we constructed a novel task, adapted from information-seeking paradigms within decision science, in which participants could choose to see information related to a guessing game they had just completed. Across two studies (one exploratory, n = 151; one confirmatory, n = 301), openness/intellect did not predict information-seeking. Our results thus do not support a straightforward version of the theory, whereby open individuals display a general-purpose sensitivity to any sort of new information. However, trait curiosity (arguably a facet of openness/intellect) predicted information-seeking in both studies, and uncertainty intolerance (inversely related to openness/intellect) predicted information-seeking in Study 2. Thus, it is possible that the domain-level null association masks two divergent information-seeking pathways, one approach-motivated (curiosity), and one avoidance-motivated (uncertainty intolerance). It remains to be seen whether these conflicting motivations can be isolated, and if doing so reveals any association between information-seeking and the broader openness/intellect domain.

scholarly journals Testing the Information–Seeking Theory of Openness/Intellect

2020 ◽  
pp. per.2271
Author(s):  
Hayley K. Jach ◽  
Luke D. Smillie
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Value Of Information ◽  
European Association ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Recent Theory ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
New Information ◽  
Uncertainty Intolerance ◽  
Reward Value ◽  
Domain Level

Why are open people open? A recent theory suggests that openness/intellect reflects sensitivity to the reward value of information, but so far, this has undergone few direct tests. To assess preferences for information, we constructed a novel task, adapted from information–seeking paradigms within decision science, in which participants could choose to see information related to a guessing game they had just completed. Across two studies (one exploratory, n = 151; one confirmatory, n = 301), openness/intellect did not predict information seeking. Our results thus do not support a straightforward version of the theory, whereby open individuals display a general–purpose sensitivity to any sort of new information. However, trait curiosity (arguably a facet of openness/intellect) predicted information seeking in both studies, and uncertainty intolerance (inversely related to openness/intellect) predicted information seeking in Study 2. Thus, it is possible that the domain–level null association masks two divergent information–seeking pathways: one approach motivated (curiosity) and one avoidance motivated (uncertainty intolerance). It remains to be seen whether these conflicting motivations can be isolated and if doing so reveals any association between information–seeking and the broader openness/intellect domain. © 2020 European Association of Personality Psychology

scholarly journals The neural encoding of information prediction errors during non-instrumental information seeking

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Brydevall ◽  
Daniel Bennett ◽  
Carsten Murawski ◽  
Stefan Bode
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Prediction Error ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Recent Theory ◽  
Prediction Errors ◽  
Neural Encoding ◽  
New Information ◽  
Human Participants

ABSTRACTIn a dynamic world, accurate beliefs about the environment are vital for survival, and individuals should therefore regularly seek out new information with which to update their beliefs. This aspect of behaviour is not well captured by standard theories of decision making, and the neural mechanisms of information seeking remain unclear. One recent theory posits that valuation of information results from representation of informative stimuli within canonical neural reward-processing circuits, even if that information lacks instrumental use. We investigated this question by recording EEG from twenty-three human participants performing a non-instrumental information-seeking task. In this task, participants could pay a monetary cost to receive advance information about the likelihood of receiving reward in a lottery at the end of each trial. Behavioural results showed that participants were willing to incur considerable monetary costs to acquire early but non-instrumental information. Analysis of the event-related potential elicited by informative cues revealed that the feedback-related negativity independently encoded both an information prediction error and a reward prediction error. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that information seeking results from processing of information within neural reward circuits, and suggests that information may represent a distinct dimension of valuation in decision making under uncertainty.

Information Seeking Motivation Scale development: a self-determination perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. 1034-1052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Dubnjakovic
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Information Need ◽  
Measurement Instruments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Motivation Scale ◽  
Current Sample ◽  
Situational Motivation ◽  
Domain Level

Purpose Using self-determination motivation theory as a theoretical framework, the purpose of this paper is to examine information seeking motivation at the domain level in higher education setting. Design/methodology/approach Confirmatory factor analysis was used to validate the Information Seeking Motivation Scale – College Version (ISMS – C). Findings ISMS – C was validated in the information seeking context. Consistent with self-determination theory (SDT), the results imply that students approach research tasks for both controlled and autonomous reasons. Research limitations/implications All constructs representing extrinsic and intrinsic motivation on a continuum were confirmed. However, amotivation proved difficult to define with the current sample. Additional studies need to be conducted in higher education setting in order to confirm its existence. Practical implications Given that the situational motivation is contingent on domain-level motivation, the ISMS – C scale can be helpful in promoting lasting intrinsic information seeking motivation at that level. Originality/value Consistent with the subjectivist orientation in information sciences which aims to account for cognitive and affective forces behind information need, ISMS constructed in the current study is one of the first measurement instruments to account for a spectrum of information seeking motivations at the domain level.

Permanent magnet brushless DC machines (PMBLDC) for general purpose – part I, the specificity of construction, methods of analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz Kołacz ◽  
Jerzy Skwarczyński
Keyword(s):  
Low Power ◽  
Permanent Magnet ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Electromagnetic Torque ◽  
Brushless Dc ◽  
Construction Methods ◽  
Methods Of Analysis ◽  
New Information ◽  
Torque Generation ◽  
Permanent Magnet Brushless Dc

The paper presents research on properties of the low power PMBLDC motor, designed to drive a bicycle. In the first part of the study the conditions of the torque generation were analyzed. The purpose of the article is to provide new information about PMBLDC motors and their properties. In the first part of the article the motor construction and torque generation in it were studied. Also the methodology of analysis were presented. The second part of the article will treat on the measurements and calculations of EMF, currents, voltages, and electromagnetic torque.

scholarly journals Curiosity, latent learning, and cognitive maps

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maya Zhe Wang ◽  
Benjamin Y. Hayden
Keyword(s):  
Value Of Information ◽  
Cognitive Maps ◽  
Cognitive Map ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Latent Learning ◽  
Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Information Availability ◽  
New Information ◽  
Flexible Behavior

ABSTRACTCuriosity refers to a desire for information that is not driven by immediate strategic or instrumental concerns. Latent earning refers to a form of learning that is not directly driven by standard reinforcement learning processes. We propose that curiosity serves the purpose of motivating latent learning. Thus, while latent learning is often treated as an incidental or passive process, in practice it most often reflects a strong evolved pressure to consume large amounts of information. That large volume of information in turn allows curious decision makers to generate sophisticated representations of the structure of their environment, known as cognitive maps. Cognitive maps facilitate adaptive and flexible behavior while maintaining its adaptivity and flexibility via map updates based on new information. Here we describe data supporting the idea that orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) play complementary roles in curiosity-driven learning. Specifically, we propose that (1) OFC tracks the innate value of information and incorporates new information into a detailed cognitive map; and (2) dACC tracks the environmental demands and information availability to then use the cognitive map for guiding behavior.

scholarly journals Individual differences in information-seeking

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher. A. Kelly ◽  
Tali Sharot
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Value Of Information ◽  
Longitudinal Approach ◽  
Research Challenge ◽  
Over Time

AbstractVast amounts of personalized information are now available to individuals. A vital research challenge is to establish how people decide what information they wish to obtain. Here, over five studies examining information-seeking in different domains we show that information-seeking is associated with three diverse motives. Specifically, we find that participants assess whether information is useful in directing action, how it will make them feel, and whether it relates to concepts they think of often. We demonstrate that participants integrate these assessments into a calculation of the value of information that explains information seeking or its avoidance. Different individuals assign different weights to these three factors when seeking information. Using a longitudinal approach, we find that the relative weights assigned to these information-seeking motives within an individual show stability over time, and are related to mental health as assessed using a battery of psychopathology questionnaires.

scholarly journals Linking PubDictionaries with UniBioDicts to support Community Curation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Zobolas ◽  
Jin-Dong Kim ◽  
Martin Kuiper ◽  
Steven Vercruysse
Keyword(s):  
Data Exchange ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Controlled Vocabularies ◽  
New Information ◽  
Community Curation ◽  
Biological Concepts ◽  
Rest Api ◽  
Easy Integration ◽  
The Many

One of the many challenges that biocurators face, is the continuous evolution of ontologies and controlled vocabularies and their lack of coverage of biological concepts. To help biocurators annotate new information that cannot yet be covered with terms from authoritative resources, we produced an update of PubDictionaries: a resource of publicly editable, simple-structured dictionaries, accessible through a dedicated REST API. PubDictionaries was equipped with both an enhanced API and a new software client that connects it to the Unified Biological Dictionaries (UBDs) uniform data exchange format. This client enables efficient search and retrieval of ad hoc created terms, and easy integration with tools that further support the curator’s specific annotation tasks. A demo that combines the Visual Syntax Method (VSM) interface for general-purpose knowledge formalization, with this new PubDictionaries-powered UBD client, shows it is now easy to incorporate the user-created PubDictionaries terminologies into biocuration tools.

scholarly journals Information-Seeking Practices of Canadian Academic Chemists: A Study of Information Needs and Use of Resources in Chemistry

1997 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth L. Noble ◽  
Carol Coughlin
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Scholarly Communication ◽  
Journal Literature ◽  
Nouvelles Technologies ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
New Information

Abstract: This paper presents selected results from a survey of Canadian academic chemists carried out in March 1996. These focus on the chemists' use of the journal literature and aspects of their experience with new information technologies. A discussion of these issues as they relate to libraries and scholarly communication is included. Résumé: Cet article présente un choix de résultats obtenus lors d'un sondage effectué auprès de chimistes de certaines universités canadiennes au mois de mars 1996. Ces résultats portent sur l'utilisation des périodiques et des nouvelles technologies de l'information. L'article inclut aussi une discussion de ces sujets dans le contexte des bibliothèques universitaires et de la communication savante.

scholarly journals Why Do People Seek Information? The Role of Personality Traits and Situation Perception

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayley Jach ◽  
Colin G. DeYoung ◽  
Luke D. Smillie
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Opportunity To Learn ◽  
Intellectual Engagement ◽  
Outcome Information ◽  
Uncertainty Intolerance ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Available Information

The opportunity to learn new knowledge is ever present. How do people decide if information has sufficient value to counteract the cost of obtaining it? We proposed a conceptual model of information seeking that emphasizes how personality traits and perceptions of situations may influence motivations to seek information to explore (related to trait curiosity and openness/intellect, and situations evoking more positive emotions and opportunities for intellectual engagement) or feel safe (related to trait uncertainty intolerance and neuroticism, and situations that evoke more negative emotions). Across two studies (N = 436; N = 316), information seeking was assessed with two widely-used paradigms (advance knowledge of a reward outcome and answers to trivia questions), as well as two variations of the trivia paradigm in Study 1. In all contexts, the available information was non-instrumental, having no practical utility within the context of the task. Consistent with our proposed exploration pathway, curiosity and openness/intellect predicted the choice to seek information for trivia and related stimuli, but not reward-outcome stimuli, and trivia stimuli were generally rated as more intellectually engaging, more positive, and less negative than reward-outcome stimuli. However, evidence for the safety pathway was only partially in line with predictions, with uncertainty intolerance predicting reward-outcome information seeking in Study 2 only. We consider possible modifications to our initial model and implications for information-seeking research. These studies provide a proof of concept that people display both trait- and context-dependent preferences for non-instrumental information, both of which are commonly overlooked in studies of information seeking.

Does openness/intellect predict sensitivity to the reward value of information?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke D. Smillie ◽  
Daniel Bennett ◽  
Nicholas P. Tan ◽  
Kiran Sutcliffe ◽  
Kirill Fayn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Value Of Information ◽  
Reward Value
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