Relationships between measures of I- and D-type curiosity, ambiguity tolerance, and need for closure: An initial test of the wanting-liking model of information-seeking

In two studies, hypotheses suggested by Litman’s (2005) wanting-liking model of information-seeking were tested. In Study 1 (N = 372) relationships between measures of dispositional Interest- (I) and Deprivation- (D) type curiosity, ambiguity tolerance (AT), and negative affectivity were examined. Consistent with the wanting-liking model, AT correlated positively with I-type curiosity and negatively with D-type curiosity. Also as predicted, I-type curiosity correlated negatively with negative traits, D-type curiosity correlated positively, and AT had minimal relationships. In Study 2 (N = 158), correlations between trait I- and D-type curiosity and need for closure (NFC) were examined. Generally consistent with expectations, I-type curiosity correlated negatively with NFC, and D-type curiosity was related positively, although the relationships were very weak.