What role does emotion play in learning?

This page is part of the Motivation and emotion textbook. See also: Guidelines.

Completion status: this resource is considered to be complete.

'”I am always ready to learn; but I do not always like being taught.” ~ Winston Churchill

Definition of Learning

The Oxford dictionary says learning is the acquisition of knowledge or skills through study, experience, or being taught:these children experienced difficulties in learning.

Definition of Emotion

The Oxford dictionary says emotion is a strong feeling deriving from one’s circumstances, mood, or relationships with others:she was attempting to control her emotions.

How the human brain learns?

Learning does not only depend on rationality

The Brain, Limbic System in particular the Amygdala

The limbic System.

Psychology has faced some important challenges in research is memory and understanding how emotion helps regulate memory within the brain. The hippocampus, and amygdala are just a few of the regions of the brain that deal with memory, emotion and learning. During emotional connection norepinephrine (NE) which is the stress hormone is released by neurons originating in the locus ceratodus and the brain stem.

The Limbic System as displayed in this image is located in the center of the brain. The limbic system interprets the signals of the body to regulate emotions and behaviour.

As seen in the image on the left the Olfactory Bulb, Papahippocampal Gyrus, Cingulate Gyrus and Amygdala are critical areas in the development of emotion and are also areas utilized in learning new information and memory recovery.

Types of Learning

”School has taught me not only how to learn in the classroom, but outside the classroom as well. Where do you think I learned how to climb, swing and skip?

Where do you think I learned how to meet my best friend?” ~ Jessie Braun

Classical Conditioning

Classical Conditioning

Associative Learning

Behavioural Learning

'”Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn.” ~ C.S. Lewis

Learning through Fear

'”Face the thing you fear, and you do away with that fear.” ~ Source Unknown

Operant Conditioning

Operant Conditioning

Observational

References

Bandura, A. (1969). Social-learning theory of identificatory processes.Handbook of socialization theory and research, 213, 262.

Cardinal, R. N., Parkinson, J. A., Hall, J., & Everitt, B. J. (2002). Emotion and motivation: the role of the amygdala, ventral striatum, and prefrontal cortex. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 26(3), 321-352.

Clark, J. C., & Groves, S. (2012).Teaching primary science: emotions, identity and the use of practical activities. The Australian Educational Researcher, 39(4), 463-475.

Gwen C. Marchand, Antonio P. Gutierrez. (2012) The role of emotion in the learning process: Comparisons between online and face-to-face learning settings, The Internet and Higher Education, 15(3), June 2012, 150-160.

Hu, H., Real, E., Takamiya, K., Kang, M. G., Ledoux, J., Huganir, R. L., & Malinow, R. (2007). Emotion enhances learning via norepinephrine regulation of AMPA-receptor trafficking. Cell, 131(1), 160-173.

Kay, R. H., & Loverock, S. (2008). Assessing emotions related to learning new software: The computer emotion scale. Computers in Human Behavior, 24(4), 1605-1623.

Killcross, S., & Place, P. (2000).The amygdala, emotion and learning. PSYCHOLOGIST-LEICESTER-, 13(10), 502-507.

Laviolette, S. R., Lipski, W. J., & Grace, A. A. (2005). A subpopulation of neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex encodes emotional learning with burst and frequency codes through a dopamine D4 receptor-dependent basolateral amygdala input. The Journal of neuroscience, 25(26), 6066-6075.

Pekrun, R., Goetz, T., Frenzel, A. C., Barchfeld, P., & Perry, R. P. (2011). Measuring emotions in students’ learning and performance: The Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ). Contemporary Educational Psychology, 36(1), 36-48.

Phelps,E.A. (2004) Human emotion and memory: interactions of the amygdala and hippocampal complexCurrent Opinion in Neurobiology, Volume 14, Issue 2, April 2004, Pages 198-202.
Rotter, J. B. (1954). Social Learning and clinical psychology. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentic Hall.

Center for Development and Learning

External links

1.*Classical Conditioning- http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9hBfnXACsOI
2.*Operant Conditioning- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpSxJw0BFZs 3.

ButterflyGirl