Rozenblit and Keil called this “the illusion of explanatory depth.” The illusion of explanatory depth is a curiosity killer and a trap. If we think we already understand, why go deeper? Why ask questions? It is striking that it was so easy to get people to pull back from their earlier confidence: all it took was to get them to reflect on the gaps in their knowledge. And as Loewenstein argued, gaps in knowledge can fuel curiosity.
