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Children and wilful ignorance
Title / Series / Name
Current Opinion in Psychology
Publication Volume
66
Publication Issue
Pages
Editors
Keywords
General Psychology
SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
Files
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Ruggeri-Azzurra2_2025.pdf
Adobe PDF, 1.64 MB
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14018/27877
Abstract
While the drive to acquire knowledge is a hallmark of human cognition, individuals frequently choose to avoid information—a phenomenon known as wilful ignorance. While extensively studied in adults, little is known about its developmental origins. We identify from the literature two distinct developmental pathways for the emergence of wilful ignorance behaviours. We then propose a graded framework to assess children's motivations for information avoidance, accounting for epistemic, emotional, and instrumental trade-offs. Gaining a deeper understanding of the emergence and the development of wilful ignorance not only enriches the theoretical discussions but also empowers educators, policy makers, and health professionals to craft strategies and interventions that are better suited to the needs and capacities of younger populations.
Topic
Publisher
Place of Publication
Type
Journal article
Date
2025-12
Language
ISBN
Identifiers
10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102126