Exploratory behavior

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Children observe the behavior of adults on a stage

Exploratory behavior (Latin explorare = to research) describes the willingness of an actor to explore the environment.

Exploratory behavior as a central dimension of successful coping with life

According to Dietrich Dörner (1983) there is a close connection between a person's exploratory behavior and their problem-solving ability. The logical chain can be described as follows: Exploratory people seek out fields with which they are not familiar and try to assert themselves in these fields by solving problems. Every experience gained in this way is processed into an abstract scheme. The more experiences, the more schemes, the wider the cognitive map. A broad cognitive map ensures control over more areas, enables new impressions to be processed more quickly and protects against loss of control and emotional break-ins. It ensures that new situations are successfully mastered. The feeling of control consolidates, self-confidence grows and thus the willingness to approach unknown areas, i.e. to behave exploratively again.

Flow effect as a reward for exploratory behavior

If exploratory behavior is so beneficial for problem-solving skills, how can you induce people to take steps into indeterminacy on their own initiative, even though such steps always involve effort and fear? In fact: every step into the unknown carries the risk that we will lose control of the situation, are helplessly exposed to the environment and ultimately lose parts of our viability. On the other hand, exploratory behavior, if it leads to success, is amply rewarded: regaining control triggers intense joy, can increase to feelings of triumph, to a climax of well-being. It is the so-called flow effect, which is described as a uniform flow, with a merging of action and consciousness , a complete absorption in the activity to the point of self- oblivion ( Csikszentmihalyi , 1999). Obviously, gaining control is so important to life support that nature considers the outcome of control efforts with the highest reward available.

To build exploratory behavior in class

So if you want to get people to behave exploratively, you have to ensure that they achieve control and are rewarded with the appropriate feelings. The task of the didactic specialist must be to confront the pupils and students with demanding, challenging learning situations and to help them master these situations. In terms of systems theory , it means that one should lead people into complexity with the task of reducing complexity. Be it the complexity of a learning object, be it the complexity of a social situation, be it the complexity of a project . Even more: the students should become accustomed to reflexively and routinely seek out and reduce complexity on their own initiative. Such behavior gradually leads to a further, central competence since the advent of the Internet, network sensitivity .

Exploratory vs. Attachment behavior

In humans, as in other primates , the exploration or exploration behavior is seen in a relationship to the attachment behavior. Here, the binding behavior and the exploration behavior are mutually exclusive. Both behaviors cannot be active at the same time, but they interact as early, innate behaviors.

Both behaviors have a great influence on later development. A child shows more exploratory behavior when it is certain that the attachment person is available at all times to be able to deal with emotional restlessness. Children who show a disproportion between exploratory and attachment behaviors often show negative abnormalities in their social behavior later in their development . Children who show an increased exploration behavior, however, are under increased stress .

See also

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  1. ↑ Dörner, Dietrich, et al. (Ed.) (1983): Lohhausen. How to deal with uncertainty and complexity . Bern: Huber
  2. ↑ Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1999): Live well !: how to make the most of your life. From the American by Michael Benthack. Stuttgart: Velcro-Cotta
  3. ^ Jean-Pol Martin: Learning through teaching: conceptualization as a source of happiness. In: Olaf-Axel Burow, Stefan Bornemann (Hrsg.): The large manual for teaching & education in school. Carl Link Verlag, 2018. pp. 345-360. ISBN 978-3-556-07336-0
  4. ↑ Jean-Pol Martin: “Competence to improve the world” as a learning goal? In: "Pedagogical Action - Science and Practice in Dialog", 6th year, 2002, issue 1, pages 71–76