The development of curiosity: an internship experience in the Centre for Early Childhood Cognition (University of Copenhagen)

Curiosity is something every one of us is born with and mostly likely have experienced. Exploring new objects and environments and engaging in play activities are the daily routine of a child. These behaviors are not only pleasurable and fun but also serve as one of core tenets of cognitive development and learning. Although it is a common experience, not every individual is equally curious, because curiosity is heavily affected by temperament. In this final dissertation, I will delve into each of these concepts, and based on my participation as a research intern at the Centre for Early Childhood Cognition on the study of “Development of Curiosity in young children”, I will look at how child’s temperament at 12 months old can impact on play behaviors (efficiency of exploration) at 12 months old and how play behaviors (efficiency of exploration) at 12 months old can predict developmental outcomes at 18 months old.