Learning reinforces curiosity for related information

Human curiosity is dynamic, however the principles governing its fluctuations remain debated. Here, we test two competing hypotheses about how past learning shapes subsequent curiosity and memory. The first, based on the “optimal arousal” theory, proposes that satisfying curiosity reduces subsequent curiosity. The second, grounded in reinforcement learning, suggests that satisfying curiosity strengthens it. To distinguish between these accounts, we analyzed information-seeking decisions from 5,8