Age Differences in State Curiosity: Examining the Role of Personal Relevance.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Non-randomized pretest-posttest comparative experimental study across two age cohorts (by design analogy).
PubMed 34062532 · doi:10.1159/000516296
What was done
Under the framework of selective engagement theory, researchers examined age differences in curiosity regarding novel technology and tested whether perceived personal relevance moderated this relationship. The study used a pretest-posttest experimental design comprising 50 younger adults and 50 older adults from Hong Kong who interacted with a robot, assessing trait curiosity, perceived personal relevance, and post-interaction state curiosity toward the robot.
What was found
The abstract reports directional findings without specific numerical values, test statistics, or effect sizes. Older adults exhibited significantly lower trait curiosity than younger adults. However, when older adults perceived an increase in personal relevance after interacting with the robot, they demonstrated a higher level of state curiosity toward the robot than younger adults.
Why it matters
These findings distinguish between baseline trait curiosity and situational state curiosity in aging, suggesting that age-related declines in curiosity can be counteracted when technology interventions are framed with high personal relevance for older adults.
Limits
The abstract reports no numerical data, confidence intervals, or exact p-values. The sample size is modest (n = 100 total), restricted to a single urban cohort in Hong Kong, and examines a single type of novel technology (a robot), limiting generalizability to other populations or technological domains.
Cited by
- supports State curiosity for information a person cares about increases with age.