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July 30, 2026Topics in Cognitive ScienceOpen Access

Goals Matter: Children's Exploration of Ambiguity is Sensitive to Contextual Value

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Authors

ELElizabeth LapidowCWCaren M. WalkerARAzzurra Ruggeri

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Overview

Randomized trial examines how goals affect exploration choices in children, suggesting insights into learning behaviors.

Key Points

  • This study investigates how children's exploratory behavior relates to their understanding of contextual value in information.
  • Children aged 3 to 6 years (n=72) played with a novel toy with ambiguous causal rules.
  • Participants chose between exploring to reveal the correct rule or repeating a successful action.
  • Exploration choices were observed in response to the contextual value of information.
  • Children tailored their exploration choices based on the contextual value of information, not just the stimulus.
  • All children recognized the ambiguity of the rules and the potential for information gain.
  • The findings support the idea that early exploration behavior is goal-directed.

Cite This Study

Lapidow et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a6af53560e2b924d3ea1010https://doi.org/10.1111/tops.70074
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