When familiarity not novelty motivates information-seeking behaviour

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Novelty is a known motivator for information-seeking behavior.
• Conditions under which familiarity is preferred over novelty are less understood.
• Metacognitive experiences following unsuccessful recall can influence information seeking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify critical factors determining when familiarity preferences emerge.
• To investigate the role of recent recall attempts in shifting information-seeking preferences.
• To explore the influence of metacognitive retrieval experiences on familiarity versus novelty seeking.

Main Methods:

• Three experiments were conducted to test hypotheses about familiarity preferences.
• Experiment 1 focused on the effect of recent unsuccessful recall attempts.
• Experiment 2 examined the impact of both successful and unsuccessful recall.
• Experiment 3 investigated the role of confidence levels in recalled information.

Main Results:

• Recent unsuccessful recall attempts were critical in inducing familiarity preferences.
• Familiarity preferences were observed even after successful information generation.
• Moderate confidence in recalled information led to the strongest familiarity preference.
• Novelty seeking is not universal and can be overridden by specific retrieval conditions.

Conclusions:

• Novelty preferences in information seeking are not absolute.
• Metacognitive retrieval experiences and recent memory attempts significantly influence information-seeking behavior.
• Findings align with theories positing knowledge gaps as drivers of information seeking.