Emotions and Learning

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Emotions and Learning

• January 12, 2004

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Background

• Four most common emotions appearing on theorists
  list are fear, anger, sadness, and joy
• Plutchik (1980) distinguishes among eight basic
  emotions fear, anger, sorrow, joy, disgust,
  acceptance, anticipation, and surprise

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More Background

• Ekman (1992) has focused on a set of from six to
  eight basic emotions
• However none of the existing frameworks address
  emotions commonly seen in SMET learning (Science,
  Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology)

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Emotions and Learning Cycle
Constructive learning
Awe Satisfaction Curiosity
Disappointment Puzzlement Confusion
II
I
Positive Affect
Negative Affect
IV
III
Frustration Discard Misconceptions
Hopefulness Fresh Research
Un-learning
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Path of the Cycle

• Student ideally begins in quadrant I or II
• In quadrant one the student might be curious or
  fascinated about a new topic of interest
• In quadrant two the student might be puzzled and
  motivated to reduce confusion
• In either case the student begins in the top half
  of the space, if their focus is on constructing
  or testing knowledge

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Path of the Cycle (Cont.)

• Quadrant Three
• Deconstruction of knowledge
• Emotions may be negative
• cognitive focus on elimination of misconceptions
• As the student consolidates his/her knowledge
  with awareness of a sense of making progress, he
  or she may move to quadrant four

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Path of the Cycle (Cont.)

• Quadrant Four
• Recovers hopefulness as knowledge set is now
  cleared of unworkable and unproductive concepts
• Getting a fresh idea propels the student back to
  the upper half of the diagram, most likely in
  quadrant one

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5 Candidate Axes

• Anxiety-Confidence
• Boredom-Fascination
• Frustration-Euphoria
• Dispirited-Encouraged
• Terror-Enchantment

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Emotion Sets Possibly Relevantto Learning
-1.0 -0.5 0 0.5 1.0
Anxiety Worry
Discomfort Comfort
Hopeful Confident
Ennui Boredom
Indifference Interest
Curiosity Intrigue
Frustration Puzzlement Confusion
Insight Enlightenment
Epiphany
Dispirited Disappointment Dissatisfaction
Satisfied Thrilled
Enthusiastic
Terror Dread
Apprehension Calm
Anticipatory Excited
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The Emotion Axis

• A Model of Emotions
• Could be one of the specific axes from previous
  slide
• Could symbolize the n-vector of all relevant
  emotion axes (allowing multi-dimensional
  combinations of emotions)
• Positive valence emotions on the right negative
  valence emotions on the left

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Knowledge Axis

• A third axis (not shown) is called the knowledge
  axis
• Extending out of the plane of the page
• When this third dimension is added, one obtains
  an excelsior spiral when evolving/developing
  knowledge
• Learner may experience multiple cycles, gradually
  moving up the knowledge axis

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Any Questions??