“We think there’s a little more of a selective process going on with curiosity.” ~ Mary Whatley
No surprise: curiosity changes over the lifespan.
Yes surprise: not in the way you might imagine. There are some advantages to aging…
Mary Whatley, PhD, studies motivated memory, aging and curiosity. She joins me to explore trait versus state curiosity; her recent research on increasing state curiosity as we age; the role of motivation and value of reflection; our own curiosity cost/benefit analyses; and why a good reviewer is a great thing.
We do have this human tendency to follow our motivation and not always be sure why — and I think that is a lot of what we experience as curiosity.
Listen to Ep. #296: Curiosity & Successful Aging, with Mary Whatley
Dr. Mary Whatley is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Western Carolina University, and the director of the Motivated Memory and Successful Aging Lab at WCU. Her research focuses on how memory and metacognition change and adapt as we age.
Check out her study: Curiosity across the adult lifespan: Age-related differences in state and trait curiosity
If you are age 60+ and are interested in participating in research going on at Western Carolina University, please contact Dr. Mary Whatley by email at mwhatley@wcu.edu or by phone at 828-227-3363. Studies involve a variety of different tasks, including learning new facts or trivia, studying pictures or faces, or remembering words. Some can be done online and some involve coming into the lab. The lab is located on the third floor of the Killian Building on Western Carolina University’s campus (Killian 303) in Cullowhee, North Carolina.
Listen to my conversation with Michiko Sakaki on Curiosity & Aging.
Want to know more about curiosity across the lifespan? Check out my recent conversation with Matthias Gruber on learning and curiosity in teens — and the surprising developmental differences among adolescents.
Theme music by Sean Balick; “A Certain Lightness” by Migration, via Blue Dot Sessions.
You can subscribe to Choose to Be Curious on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
