Recent advancements in psychology, behavioral economics, and neuroscience have shown the human pursuit of knowledge to be an essential aspect of human cognition. It drives intellectual development, is integral to social interactions, and is crucial for learning, decision-making, and goal-directed behavior. Information appears to be valuable in and of itself, even when it has no apparent use, whereas at other times, instrumental information is actively and paradoxically avoided. With this complex role, a wide range of neural mechanisms can be deployed to assign value to information and drive decisions to seek (or avoid) information. Evidence points toward key roles for the mesolimbic system and the prefrontal cortex in these processes. Specifically, two different networks appear to be involved in the implementation of information-seeking behaviors. One network, overlapping with areas involved in processing primary and monetary rewards, appears to drive a general preference for information, as well as valence-dependent information-seeking. The other network, independent of reward processing, is recruited when information is acquired to reduce uncertainty. In this chapter, we review some of the most recent discoveries in the field to provide an overview of the neural basis of information-seeking.

This book has covered a wide range of new and exciting research in the science of information-seeking. Yet many open questions still remain. For example, how is information-seeking related to reward-seeking? What are the principles that enable us to acquire useful information with computational efficiency, despite possessing limited cognitive capacities and knowledge? Which aspects of our neural machinery are unique to information-seeking, and what is shared across other cognitive systems? How does the science of information-seeking inform important societal issues, such as fake news, conspiracy theories, and education?