Knowledge reshapes inquiry by changing question asking ability and impacting academic assessment

Question-asking is central to human communication, cognitive development, and learning. While prior research has examined questioning in controlled, non-longitudinal settings, little is known about how the originality and complexity of the questions people ask change over time or how these abilities respond to knowledge acquisition. This study examined how gained knowledge shapes question-asking and whether these abilities predict academic outcomes. Undergraduate students (N = 68) enrolled in a semester-long "Intro to Psychology" course completed general and domain-specific question-asking tasks at the start and end of the semester, along with an open-ended final project and a closed-ended multiple-choice exam. Domain-specific question-asking improved over time, whereas general question-asking remained stable or declined. General and specific question-asking abilities were negatively related to closed-ended test performance and positively related to open-ended project performance. These findings clarify how knowledge reshapes inquiry and highlight the educational value of fostering stronger question-asking skills.