Poster #43 - Interpersonal Curiosity and its Association with Social and Emotional Skills and Well-being during Adolescence

• In Event: Poster Session 16

Abstract

Interpersonal curiosity (IPC), or the desire to know about the inner and outer experiences of other people (Litman & Pezzo, 2007), is arguably the foundation of social and emotional skills and well-being. It is through asking questions about another person’s thoughts, feelings, intent, experiences, actions, motivations, and desires that we learn about ourselves and each other and develop close relationships that are essential for mental health (Dunn, 1988; Engel, 2015). According to social neuroscientist Matthew Lieberman (2013), we are naturally curious about what is going on in the minds of others, and such curiosity is a catalyst of empathy as it requires us to “understand the inner emotional worlds of other people and then act in ways that benefit other people and our relationships with them” (p. 160). Despite its importance, research has rarely investigated the construct of interpersonal curiosity. The study and practice of social and emotional learning (SEL) does not address this fundamental and necessary human capacity.

This mixed-methods study explored the dimensions of IPC, examined how each dimension was associated with social and emotional skills and well-being, and investigated the moderating role of gender in a sample of middle school students. Data for this study came from a classroom-based intervention designed to foster curiosity. The sample consisted of 389 seventh-grade students (Mage = 12.66; 48% Female) in seven public middle schools in New York City (36% Asian American, 29% White, 16% Latina/o, 13% African American, and 6% Other). Students were asked to generate two open-ended questions that they most wanted to ask the following persons in their lives: closest friend, the teacher in this classroom, mother or female caretaker, and father or male caretaker. Students also completed a self-reported survey measuring active listening (LCS; Ford et al., 2000), Empathy (IRI; Davis, 1980), Friendship Quality (NRI; Furman & Buhrmester,1985), and Depressive Symptoms (CDI-S; Kovacs, 1992).

Content analysis revealed four dimensions of IPC: Curiosity about Me (15% of the sample), Curiosity about You (33%), Curiosity about Our Relationship (3%), and Curiosity about Your Relationships (6%). Questions that did not fit the aforementioned dimensions were coded as either Unclassified (8%) or No Question (19%). Results indicated that the dimensions of IPC were positively associated with social and emotional skills and well-being, and that gender moderated such associations. There was a significant positive association between “Curiosity about You” and listening skills for girls, relative to boys. On the other hand, there was a significant negative association between “Curiosity about You” and friendship quality for boys, relative to girls. Also, the association between “Curiosity about Our Relationship” and depressive symptoms is more pronounced for girls than boys. Findings highlight the importance of interpersonal curiosity in the social and emotional skills and well-being during adolescence.

Authors

• Jinjoo Han, New York University
  Presenting Author

• Niobe Way, New York University

• Hirokazu Yoshikawa, New York University