title: The Curiosity and Exploration Inventory-II: Development, Factor Structure, and Psychometrics.
abstract: Given curiosity's fundamental role in motivation, learning, and well-being, we sought to refine the measurement of trait curiosity with an improved version of the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory (CEI; Kashdan, Rose, & Fincham, 2004). A preliminary pool of 36 items was administered to 311 undergraduate students, who also completed measures of emotion, emotion regulation, personality, and well-being. Factor analyses indicated a two factor model-motivation to seek out knowledge and new experiences (Stretching; 5 items) and a willingness to embrace the novel, uncertain, and unpredictable nature of everyday life (Embracing; 5 items). In two additional samples (ns = 150 and 119), we cross-validated this factor structure and provided initial evidence for construct validity. This includes positive correlations with personal growth, openness to experience, autonomy, purpose in life, self-acceptance, psychological flexibility, positive affect, and positive social relations, among others. Applying item response theory (IRT) to these samples (n = 578), we showed that the items have good discrimination and a desirable breadth of difficulty. The item information functions and test information function were centered near zero, indicating that the scale assesses the mid-range of the latent curiosity trait most reliably. The findings thus far provide good evidence for the psychometric properties of the 10-item CEI-II.
authors.affiliation: George Mason University.
authors.forename: Todd B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Kashdan
authors.forename: Matthew W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Gallagher
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Silvia
authors.forename: Beate P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Winterstein
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Breen
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Terhar
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Steger