Like primary drives, stimulus motives are largely unlearned. Stimulus motives place a premium on obtaining information about the environment and depend more on external stimuli than on internal states.
Exploration and Curiosity
Exploration and curiosity are motives activated by the unfamiliar and are directed toward the goal of discovering how the world works. Psychologists disagree on the nature and causes of curiosity, but it has been linked to creativity.
Manipulation and Contact
Humans and primates need to manipulate objects to gain both tactile information and a sense of comfort.
Contact, the need for affection and closeness, is another important stimulus motive. Although manipulation requires active "hands-on" exploration, contact may be passive.
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