Information theory and collative motivation: incentive value of uncertainty, variety, and novelty for children

We tested the applicability of concepts and measures from information theory to studies of the development and operation of collative motivation. Three variables nominated by Berlyne as potential motivators of information seeking--uncertainty, variety, and novelty--were put into correspondence with three informational theoretic measures--average uncertainty in bits, number of possible outcomes, and outcome probability--to investigate the incentive properties of each variable for first and fourth graders. Increasing bit levels of uncertainty by adding alternatives to the set of possible outcomes was generally positively related to cover choices; however, increasing bit values by varying outcome probabilities from unequal to equal had no effect on choice. Without uncertainty, variety provided a weak source of collative motivation, systematically related to the choice of the transparent cover only for the older children when rewards occurred equally frequently. In contrast, the transparent cover was chosen significantly more frequently when the outcome probability of the associated reward was low. We obtained developmental stability in motivational effects except for variety operating in the absence of uncertainty.