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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 9, 2025

Using MazeSuite and Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy to Study Learning in Spatial Navigation

Using MazeSuite and Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy to Study Learning in Spatial Navigation

Published on: October 8, 2011

Latent learning, cognitive maps, and curiosity.

Maya Zhe Wang¹, Benjamin Y Hayden¹

¹Department of Neuroscience, Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, and Center for Neuroengineering University of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN 55455.

Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences

|April 12, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Curiosity drives learning by motivating individuals to actively seek information, forming cognitive maps for adaptive behavior. The orbitofrontal cortex and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex play key roles in this process.

Keywords:

cognitive maps curiosity humanlike curiosity information-seeking latent learning

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Published on: February 19, 2018

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Behavioral Economics

Background:

Curiosity, a non-strategic desire for information, is proposed to motivate latent learning.
Latent learning, often viewed as passive, involves actively seeking information to build environmental representations.
Cognitive maps, formed through information seeking, are crucial for adaptive and flexible behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

To propose curiosity as a mechanism driving latent learning.
To elucidate the roles of orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) in curiosity-driven learning.
To integrate findings on information seeking, cognitive mapping, and adaptive behavior.

Main Methods:

Theoretical proposal integrating existing research on curiosity and learning.
Neurobiological hypothesis on the complementary functions of OFC and dACC.
Conceptual framework linking information value, environmental demands, and cognitive map utilization.

Main Results:

Curiosity actively motivates the acquisition of information, leading to the formation of cognitive maps.
OFC is hypothesized to track the intrinsic value of information and update cognitive maps.
dACC is proposed to assess environmental demands and guide behavior using OFC-generated cognitive maps.

Conclusions:

Curiosity is essential for active information seeking and the development of cognitive maps.
OFC and dACC exhibit complementary roles in curiosity-driven learning and adaptive behavior.
This framework highlights the adaptive significance of curiosity in navigating complex environments.