Educational Research Review 1 (2006) 69–82 Interest: A unique motivational variable  Suzanne Hidi * Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont., Canada M4T 2B9 Received 15 February 2006; received in revised form 30 August 2006; accepted 1 September 2006 Abstract In the first part of this article, I discuss motivational variables in general, and interest in specific and propose that because of its biological roots, interest is a unique motivational variable. Furthermore, it is suggested that to demonstrate the uniqueness of interest, neuroscientific findings need to be considered. In the second section of the paper, I argue that the impact of the neuroscientific literature in the areas of social, educational and cognitive psychology has not been appropriately recognized. To support this claim, links between selected neuroscientific findings and motivational variables in general and interest in specific are discussed. Finally, some of the educationally relevant implications of interest research supported by neuroscientific findings are considered. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Interest; Neuroscience; Motivation; Affect 1. Historical introduction The importance of interest was already recognized in the late 19th century. Thinkers like Ebbinghaus (1885/1964) and James (1890) acknowledged that interest made a significant contribution to what people paid attention to and remembered. In the early part of the 20th century there was a continued understanding of the important role interest played in learning and development. Dewey (1913) maintained that interest facilitates learning, improves understanding and stimulates effort as well as personal involvement. Others like Clapar` ede (1905), Arnold (1906), Fryer (1931) and Bartlett (1932) also noted the importance of interest. Berlyne (1949) pointed out that researchers tended to focus on feelings and attention as the two most important components of interest. As many of my colleagues and I argued in various publications, the significance of affective and motivational variables in general, and interest in specific, was diminished during behaviourism and the subsequent cognitive revo- lution (e.g., Boekaerts, 1999; Eppstein, 1990; Hidi, 1990; Krapp, 1999). However, in the last 25 years, neuroscientists rediscovered the importance of emotions and feelings (Ashby, Isen, & Turken, 1999; Damasio, 1994, 2003; Panksepp, 1998, 2003, etc.). Psychologists also started to focus on affective variables (e.g., Dai & Sternberg, 2004; Meyer & Turner, 2002). Interest was again acknowledged to be a critical motivational variable that influences learning and achievement. H. Schiefele (1978, 1981) was one of the first in this period who recognized the pivotal role interest plays in education. He argued that the differentiation, development and stabilization of academically relevant interests  This paper is based on a plenary address presented at the 10th Plennial Meeting of the European Association for Learning and Instruction, 2003 August, Padova, Italy. * Tel.: +1 416 483 7547; fax: +1 416 203 0124. E-mail address: caretaimports@on.aibn.com. 1747-938X/$ – see front matter © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.edurev.2006.09.001