Curiosity and Learning (CAL)

Does eliciting curiosity in preschoolers impact their learning outcomes? 

Curiosity is often anecdotally regarded as important in early learning, but there has not been much research exploring the direct links between curiosity and learning in early childhood. In addition, measuring and eliciting curiosity in children has been difficult for a variety of reasons. If being curious really does help children learn, exploring how we can create situations that engage children and make them feel curious could be beneficial for early learning practices.

In this study, 4- and 5-year-old children will read a book with an experimenter; some children will read a typical storybook while others will read the same book modified to elicit curiosity. After the book reading all children will play a few short games to see what they learned from the content of the book. Parents will also be asked to fill out a brief survey about their child’s curiosity. This study will help us understand how curiosity impacts early learning."