Curiosity and interest

• Date: 01 December 2019
• Published date: 01 December 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21376
• Author: Thomas G. Reio

EDITORIAL

Curiosity and interest

In my first editorial as Editor of Human Resource Development Quarterly, I wrote about my plans for guiding the jour-

nal during my 3-year term. Besides focusing much on research rigor; asking for novel, interdisciplinary research; con-

tinuing the call for research methods articles; and working toward expanding the Editorial Board, I ended the

editorial by welcoming research that is cutting-edge and curiosity-driven (Reio, 2019). To be clear, to me, all research

is driven by the researcher's curiosity, although the curiosity can be channeled toward economic gain (e.g., to seek

grant funding) and immediate application or to simply satisfy a need to know (Reio, 2012, 2013).

Curiosity, defined as the desirefor new knowledge (cognitivecuriosity) and sensory experiences (sensorycuriosity)

that resultsin exploratory behavior (e.g.,consulting, observing,thinking, experimenting), is arguablythe essence of who

we are as human resource development (HRD) researchers and, by extension, applied social scientists. We need to be

proactivelycurious and exploratory if weare to ever challenge assumptions, be critical, follow educated hunches, think

creativelyand innovate, and develop linesof research to examine and solve seemingly intractableproblems. Indeed, the

freedom to exerciseone's curiosity and exploratorybehavior is one of the foundationsof a healthy fieldand, by exten-

sion, society.Being curious and exploratory helps createnew knowledge and problemsolve in service of adapting capa-

bly to the challenges arising from the interesting and complex world in which we live. However, being curious and

exploratory entails taking risks because the unknown is not so sure or tried-and-true; there is the possibility your

research hunches may be untenable or being critical will challenge long-held beliefs that may be unpopular. Still, we

must take the riskof being curious and exploratoryif we hope to move forward as researchersand human beings.

Although it is possible to maintain a lifelong curiosity about something that never ceases to create a sense of

wonder for an individual (e.g., in my case, ancient Egypt), more typically, curiosity is fleeting. Once cognitive curiosity

is aroused by a knowledge gap, for instance, one engages in exploratory behavior, such as consulting with a peer or

the Internet, to find the information needed to close that gap. Once the information has been gathered and the infor-

mation gap closed, a state of equilibrium is reached where the curiosity is no longer present (Berlyne, 1960, 1978).

With sensory curiosity, one may engage in exploratory behaviors and experiences that are physical (e.g., rock

climbing) or social (e.g., dating someone from a different culture), not because of an information gap per se but for

the sake or thrill of experiencing something novel. Once the physical or social thrill has been experienced, as with

cognitive curiosity, a state of equilibrium has been reached, and the sensory type of curiosity dissipates (Zuckerman,

2007). By engaging in sensory curiosity, information acquisition and learning can occur, but generally, it is not the pri-

mary motivation. Both cognitive and sensory curiosity are required to skillfully adapt to one's environment; neither is

more important than the other (Reio, Petrosko, Wiswell, & Thongsukmag, 2006).

As Dewey (1910) noted so long ago, curiosity is also vital because it develops into interests. Thus, one is curious

first, and the curiosity can then develop into more lasting interests. After the initial curiosity as a researcher, for

example, it is interest that stimulates the individual to seek information more deeply, for a longer duration, and with

more intensity. Curiosity, aroused by information gaps and the need for novelty, in turn continuously helps feed the

research interest. Consequently, we must find ways to embrace curiosity and the exploratory behavior it entails, and

continuously so, if we ever hope to develop our research interests and move the field of HRD forward. Dewey

warned that being excessively dogmatic, rigid, and narrow in our thinking was a sure way to dampen curiosity and

quell research interests, with dire consequences for the advancement of science. Thus, as HRD researchers,

DOI: 10.1002/hrdq.21376

© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Human Resource Development Quarterly. 2019;30:451–452. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/hrdq 451