Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 13, 2025
08:28
Novel Object Exploration as a Potential Assay for Higher Order Repetitive Behaviors in Mice
Published on: August 20, 2016
8.8K
The Gilding-the-Lily Effect: Exploratory Behavior Energized by Curiosity.
Mowei Shen1, Pengpeng Liu1, Xinyu Li2
1Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Frontiers in Psychology
|July 29, 2020
Summary
Curiosity can drive people to exert needless efforts, even when they know it won't improve results. Understanding this cognitive mechanism helps reduce waste from superfluous behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- The idiom "to gild the lily" describes superfluous actions.
- Understanding the drivers of unnecessary behavior can prevent waste and disaster.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if curiosity for new information motivates needless effort.
- To explore the cognitive mechanisms behind superfluous behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Three experiments were conducted.
- Participants' exploratory activities were observed under conditions where extra effort yielded no better outcomes.
Main Results:
- Participants engaged in exploratory activities beyond task requirements.
- This occurred even when aware that additional effort provided no benefit.
Conclusions:
- The desire for information (curiosity) can lead to irrational, superfluous actions.
- This research offers insights into reducing losses associated with "gilding the lily" behaviors.
Related Concept Videos
00:48Optimal Foraging
13.1K
How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.
13.1K
02:30Naturalistic Observations
16.9K
If you want to understand how behavior occurs, one of the best ways to gain information is to simply observe the behavior in its natural context. However, people might change their behavior in unexpected ways if they know they are being observed. How do researchers obtain accurate information when people tend to hide their natural behavior? As an example, imagine that your professor asks everyone in your class to raise their hand if they always wash their hands after using the restroom. Chances...
16.9K
01:13Nonconscious Mimicry
5.0K
Nonconscious mimicry occurs when individuals alter their mannerisms to match the behaviors and expressions of those nearby, without intention.
5.0K
01:53Cause and Effect
11.9K
While variables are sometimes correlated because one does cause the other, it could also be that some other factor, a confounding variable, is actually causing the systematic movement in our variables of interest. For instance, as sales in ice cream increase, so does the overall rate of crime. Is it possible that indulging in your favorite flavor of ice cream could send you on a crime spree? Or, after committing crime do you think you might decide to treat yourself to a cone?
11.9K
01:31Confirmation Biases
7.6K
The confirmation bias is the tendency to focus on information that confirms our existing beliefs and ignore information that is inconsistent with our expectations. For example, if you think that your professor is not very nice, you notice all of the instances of rude behavior exhibited by the professor while ignoring the countless pleasant interactions he is involved in on a daily basis. Have you ever fallen prey to the confirmation bias, either as the source or target of such bias?
7.6K
01:28Behaviorism
4.1K
The field of behaviorism was pioneered by figures such as Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson, and B.F. Skinner fundamentally shifted the focus of psychology to the observable and controllable aspects of human and animal behavior. This shift marked a critical evolution in the discipline, emphasizing scientific rigor and experimental methodology.
The core premise of behaviorism is its focus on observable behavior rather than internal thoughts or feelings. This approach argues that true scientific...
The core premise of behaviorism is its focus on observable behavior rather than internal thoughts or feelings. This approach argues that true scientific...
4.1K