A Japan-origin Motivational Framework for Diversive and Specific Curiosity: Development of the English Version of the Japanese Epistemic Curiosity Scale

Curiosity is a fundamental human drive to explore, the desire to know. In particular, epistemic curiosity is the central construct in individual differences in curiosity. Epistemic curiosity is intellectual and cognitive curiosity. Japanese studies in epistemic curiosity have developed independently, based on Hatano and Inagaki's theory. Studies have been conducted on the role of learning and education for the two types of epistemic curiosity, diversive and specific curiosity. The Japan version of the Epistemic Curiosity (J-EC) scale, which measures these two types as a personality trait, has been developed based upon empirical studies using the J-EC scale. We thought it was necessary to develop an English version of the J-EC scale, in order to be able to make international comparisons of levels of curiosity among Japanese people. In this study, we translated the J-EC scale into English and assessed its factor structure, reliability, and validity. Results of factor analysis and correlation analysis validated the factor structure of diversive and specific curiosity, and the reliability and validity of diversive and specific curiosity subscales almost perfectly in accordance with our hypotheses.