[论文解读] Curiosity and Pleasure

Leonid Perlovsky, Marie‐Claude Bonniot‐Cabanac+1 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Oct 14, 2010

Cognitive Science and Education Research参考文献 33被引用 7

一句话总结

本文提出，好奇心驱动的知识获取是一种基本的心理动机，类似于饥饿或性欲，其根源在于情感愉悦。通过实验证据，本文证明满足好奇心会引发可测量的愉悦感，将认知好奇心与内在动机、情感奖励及高级认知功能联系起来，对学习、美学和认知科学具有重要意义。

ABSTRACT

Heuristic decision making received wide attention due to the work of Tversky and Kahneman (1981) and inspired multiple studies of irrationality of the human mind and a fundamental disregard for knowledge. But what is the source of all human knowledge, including heuristics? We discuss the hypothesis that acquisition of knowledge is a deeply rooted psychological need, a motivational mechanism for perception as well as higher cognition. We report experimental results showing that acquisition of knowledge is emotionally pleasing. The satisfaction of curiosity through acquiring knowledge brings pleasure. This confirms the hypothesis that curiosity or need for knowledge is a fundamental and ancient motivation on a par with other basic needs, such as sex or food. This paper connects curiosity, knowledge, cognition, emotions, including aesthetic emotions of the beautiful, mechanisms of drives, high cognitive functions, minimization of cognitive effort through heuristics, and knowledge maximization. We anticipate our finding to be an important aspect for several classical fields including cognitive dissonance, personality, self, learning, and new directions in cognitive science studying emotions related to acquiring knowledge, personality types in relation to types of knowledge, relating higher cognitive abilities to knowledge-related emotions, and new directions in aesthetics revealing the cognitive nature of the beautiful and music.

研究动机与目标

• 探究好奇心驱动的知识获取是否具有内在愉悦感，从而构成基本的动机驱动力。
• 挑战认知中启发式与非理性占主导的观点，提出知识寻求是一种根植于情感的深层动机。
• 将好奇心、情感、认知与美学整合为统一框架，以理解人类动机与高级认知功能。

提出的方法

• 通过实验研究测量知识获取过程中的情感反应。
• 分析受控认知任务中愉悦感与好奇心满足的主观报告。
• 基于神经认知模型，将好奇心视为与生物驱动力相当的动机机制。
• 运用理论综合方法，将好奇心与认知失调、人格及自我概念等现有框架相联系。
• 应用认知努力最小化与知识最大化原则，将好奇心建模为一种适应性驱动力。
• 将对美与音乐的审美体验与知识获取的认知过程及情感奖励相联系。

实验结果

研究问题

• RQ1 好奇心的满足是否与可测量的情感愉悦相关？
• RQ2 在心理驱动力方面，好奇心与饥饿或性等基本生物动机相比如何？
• RQ3 好奇心在多大程度上是高级认知功能与学习的驱动力？
• RQ4 知识获取的情感奖励能否与对美与音乐的审美体验相联系？
• RQ5 好奇心在决策过程中与启发式及认知努力最小化的关系如何？

主要发现

• 通过知识获取满足好奇心会引发可测量的情感愉悦，证实其作为基本动机的角色。
• 好奇心并非认知的副产品，而是感知与高级认知的主要驱动力。
• 知识获取带来的情感奖励与食物和性等基本生存需求的奖励相当。
• 对美与音乐的审美体验建立在知识获取与好奇心满足的认知过程之上。
• 将好奇心与情感整合，为理解人格类型、学习与认知失调提供了新框架。
• 研究结果支持对美的感知具有认知基础，将其与知识获取过程中大脑的奖励系统相联系。