Confusion During Learning
PI: Art Graesser
Co-PI: Sidney D'Mello
This project explores interactions between cognition and emotion during the learning
of scientific methods in the context of a computer tutoring environment. The primary
focus is on the relations between impasses, cognitive disequilibrium, and confusion.
Confusion is an emotion that correlates with learning gains because it is diagnostic
of cognitive disequilibrium, a state that occurs when learners face obstacles to goals,
contradictions, incongruities, anomalies, conflicts, and system breakdowns. Cognitive
equilibrium is normally restored after thought, reflection, problem solving and other
effortful cognitive activities. Therefore, pedagogical tactics that challenge, perplex,
and productively confuse learners are stimulating alternatives to the typical information
delivery systems that promote shallow knowledge in the comfort zone of the learner,
but rarely deep comprehension. However, the cognitive-affective amalgamation of cognitive
disequilibrium and confusion does not directly guarantee deep learning, but rather
is a promising opportunity for promoting deep learning. This 3-year project develops
tutorial interventions that induce, track, and regulate confusion and cognitive disequilibrium
in the minds of learners. There are three specific objectives: (1) To promote deep
learning by developing tutorial interventions that experimentally induce impasses,
cognitive disequilibrium, and the resulting confusion; (2) to integrate sensing devices
and signal processing algorithms that detect and track the associated confusion; and
(3) to develop affect-sensitive pedagogical strategies that are designed to help learners
regulate their confusion. The three objectives will be realized by augmenting an existing
Intelligent Tutoring System, called Operation ARIES! (Acquiring Research Investigative
and Evaluative Skills) with technologies that are designed to provide automated affective
and cognitive assessment and an intelligent handling of emotions. The tutorial trialogues
of ARIES will be enhanced by integrating state-of-the-art sensing devices that identify
affective states during learning (confusion, frustration, boredom, flow/engagement,
etc) on the basis of the dialogue history, conversational cues, facial expressions,
and body posture.
Funding:
- Inducing, Tracking, and Regulating Confusion and Cognitive Disequilibrium During Complex
Learning. Funding Agency: NSF. $599,689.
Selected Publications:
- D'Mello, S., Lehman, B., Pekrun, R., & Graesser, A. (in press). When confusion can be beneficial for learning. Learning and Instruction.
- Graesser, A.C., & D'Mello, S. (2012). Emotions during the learning of difficult material. In. B. Ross (Eds.), The Psychology of Learning and Motivation, vol. 57 (183-225). Elsevier.
- Lehman, B., D'Mello, S. K., & Graesser, A. C. (2012). Confusion and complex learning during interactions with computer learning environments. The Internet and Higher Education, 15, 184-194.
- Lehman, B., D'Mello, S. K., Strain, A., Mills, C., Gross, M., Dobbins, A., Wallace, P., Millis, K., & Graesser, A. C. (2013). Inducing and tracking confusion with contradictions during complex learning. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence Special Issue: Best of AIED 2011, 22, 71-93.