An energizing role for motivation in information-seeking during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic

Yaniv Abir; Caroline B Marvin; Camilla van Geen; Maya Leshkowitz; Ran R Hassin; Daphna Shohamy

doi:10.1038/s41467-022-30011-5

An energizing role for motivation in information-seeking during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic

Nat Commun. 2022 Apr 28;13(1):2310. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-30011-5.

Authors

Yaniv Abir¹, Caroline B Marvin², Camilla van Geen^{3

4}, Maya Leshkowitz⁵, Ran R Hassin^#⁶, Daphna Shohamy^#^{2

3

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. yaniv.abir@columbia.edu.
² Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
³ Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
⁴ Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
⁵ Department of Cognitive Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
⁶ Department of Psychology and The Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
⁷ Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of understanding and managing information seeking behavior. Information-seeking in humans is often viewed as irrational rather than utility maximizing. Here, we hypothesized that this apparent disconnect between utility and information-seeking is due to a latent third variable, motivation. We quantified information-seeking, learning, and COVID-19-related concern (which we used as a proxy for motivation regarding COVID-19 and the changes in circumstance it caused) in a US-based sample (n = 5376) during spring 2020. We found that self-reported levels of COVID-19 concern were associated with directed seeking of COVID-19-related content and better memory for such information. Interestingly, this specific motivational state was also associated with a general enhancement of information-seeking for content unrelated to COVID-19. These effects were associated with commensurate changes to utility expectations and were dissociable from the influence of non-specific anxiety. Thus, motivation both directs and energizes epistemic behavior, linking together utility and curiosity.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Anxiety
COVID-19*
Humans
Information Seeking Behavior
Motivation*
Pandemics