Breaking down (and moving beyond) novelty as a trigger of curiosity.

ABSTRACT

The Novelty Seeking Model (NSM) places "novelty" at center stage in characterizing the mechanisms behind curiosity. We argue that the NSM's conception of novelty is too broad, obscuring distinct constructs. More critically, the NSM underemphasizes triggers of curiosity that better unify these constructs and that have received stronger empirical support those that signal the potential for useful learning.