Epistemic Curiosity in Kea Parrots and Human Children.

ABSTRACT: Both human children and animals seek information following a violation-of-expectation event, but little research suggests the latter do so for the sake of it. In this preregistered experiment, we compared epistemic curiosity-the pursuit of information for its own sake-in kea parrots (Nestor notabilis) and three-year-old human children (Homo sapiens) following a violation-of-expectation event. Subjects were trained to push a tool into an apparatus that produced a reward before the apparatus was surreptitiously made non-functional in following trials. In both functional and non-functional trials, after solving the task, subjects were rewarded and allowed to explore the apparatus for thirty seconds with the opportunity to peek into the side of the apparatus. We found that relati

SUBMITTER: Smith GE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12506928 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature