Curiosity as a catalyst for conceptual change: A schema-based model of learning and development

Curiosity is widely recognized as a driver of exploration and learning, yet existing theories often under-specify the mechanisms through which curiosity transforms knowledge over time. This paper introduces the Schema Expansion and Error-driven Knowledge-building (SEEK) model, a novel, process-based framework that positions curiosity as a cognitive engine of long-term knowledge development. Drawing on schema theory, SEEK conceptualizes learning as a dynamic interplay among four mechanisms-accretion, tuning, restructuring, and schema formation-each triggered by prediction error and modulated by automatic or deliberate curiosity. The model accounts for both early, perceptually driven curiosity and later, metacognitively guided inquiry, tracing how curiosity evolves across development and supports increasingly complex forms of knowledge revision. It also clarifies the role of curiosity in creativity, highlighting how moments of schema restructuring can seed novel insights. By integrating motivational, emotional, and cognitive dimensions of curiosity, SEEK offers a unified, developmentally grounded explanation for how curiosity fosters deep learning and creative thinking across the lifespan, with implications for education, developmental psychology, and creativity research.