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Foraging extends beyond food: Hoarding of mental energy and information seeking in response to uncertainty

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 March 2019

Jessica L. Alquist  and
Roy F. Baumeister
Jessica L. Alquist
Affiliation:
Psychological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79416Jessica.alquist@ttu.eduhttps://www.depts.ttu.edu/psy/people/jalquist/
Roy F. Baumeister
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. r.baumeister@psy.uq.edu.auhttps://psychology.uq.edu.au/profile/3505/roy-baumeister
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Abstract

When an environment is uncertain, humans and other animals benefit from preparing for and attempting to predict potential outcomes. People respond to uncertainty both by conserving mental energy on tasks unrelated to the source of the uncertainty and by increasing their attentiveness to information related to the uncertainty. This mental hoarding and foraging allow people to prepare in uncertain situations.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 42 , 2019 , e38
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

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