The cognitive science isn’t enough
For over 2 years I’ve wanted to write this blog. A flurry of e mails and LinkedIn messages back in 2023 between myself and Sarah Sniderman (and amazing human) regarding book chapter authoring, got me thinking deeply about the emotional experience of learning and its impact on learning design.
Laura Watkin (another amazing human) and I have worked hard to develop the ASRI model and underpin it with ‘good’ and for us ‘trusted’ research (the best that we know right now) around cognition and the psychology of learning. Dipping into neuroscience and social sciences along the way. But what we have always recognised throughout, is learning is a very personal and ‘emotional’ thing.
Never more so than when we are face to face with our learners. However, the same is true for virtual synchronous and asynchronous learning (be it self-paced or a shared experience). Each experience has an emotional quotient, whether you acknowledge this or not (as the ‘Gorillaz’ would say “it’s dare”).
Learners gossiping in corridors – “I’m done”!
Well, they weren’t gossiping at all. They were simply expressing how they were feeling. In January of this year Laura and I had the privilege of heading to Windsor and the beautiful – Beaumont Hotel for 3 days of ‘train the trainer’ work with an international collection of ‘World Anti-Doping’ knowledge experts.
These individuals have the incredibly important role of sharing their expertise with a wider network Anti-Doping practitioners across the globe. Some had travelled for 12hrs to 24hrs and had been in meetings for days preceding our training. So, when on day two of their time with us I heard this
“I’m done”
quietly but purposefully spoken. I just politely responded with, “its ok” and “it’s understandable”.
The Emotional Arc ASRI
Our training is effortful and we expect this emotional reaction at times, so we plan for it… and this is how.
Attention: The Spark
Attention isn’t passive. It’s emotional. The first seconds of any learning experience determine whether the brain decides:
“This matters… lean in,” or
“This is irrelevant… shut down.”
Poor learning experiences trigger emotions such as boredom, overwhelm, and frustration. Learners feel “this isn’t for me” or “there’s too much”. Their cognitive load spikes, their motivation plummets, and learning stalls before it has even started. But when Attention is designed well, learners feel intrigued, capable, and ready.
Research backs this up – A 2020 study in CBE, Life Sciences Education described attention as “the gateway between information and learning”, emphasising that teaching strategies work largely because they successfully orchestrate attention (Keller, Davidesco & Tanner, 2020).
Neuroscientist Elizabeth Kensinger (2017) explains that emotional stimuli receive “privileged processing” in memory. Emotion doesn’t just accompany attention, it fuels it.
Emotionally, attention done well feels like:
“This is for me.”
“I can do this.”
How to:
- Start with relevance, curiosity, something that matters.
- Reduce noise. Make people feel clever and competent fast.
Sense-Making: The Click
Confusion is one of the most powerful negative emotions in learning. When learning makes no sense, too much jargon, abstract explanations, disconnected facts learners feel alienated, apathetic, and quietly lost.
Poor learning leaves them thinking:
“I don’t get it.”
“This is irrelevant.”
But Sense-Making flips that emotional state. When explanations are simple, examples are clear, and new ideas connect to what people already know, you get one of the most satisfying emotional experiences in learning: the click moment.
It’s that small spark of excitement when understanding snaps into place. This is more than anecdote it’s evidence-based. Priniski et al. (2018) found that when learners connect new content to personal meaning, motivation rises sharply. Fiorella’s (2023) Generative Sense-Making Framework further shows that activities like explaining, visualising, or enacting concepts deepen comprehension and create positive emotional experiences linked to mastery.
Emotionally, sense-making feels like:
“Ahh, I get it now.”
“I can see how to use this.”
How to:
- Use analogies, stories, visuals, concrete examples.
- Connect newcontent with what’s already in long-term memory.
Retention: The Stability
One of the most emotionally damaging aspects of poor learning is the feeling that nothing sticks.
“I’ve forgotten already.”
“I can’t hold onto this.”
This leads to helplessness, self-doubt and even shame, emotions that disengage people from future learning. Retention is about design – without recall, rehearsal, and spacing, memory simply fades.
Neuroscience is clear: forgetting is the default (Davis & Zhong, 2017). What resists forgetting is retrieval, the act of pulling knowledge back out. Larsen’s (2018) review found that retrieval practice (quizzing, summarising, recalling) significantly improves long-term retention compared to re-studying. Retrieval gives learners a sense of mastery and mastery creates pride.
Emotionally, retention feels like:
“I know this.”
“I’m getting better.”
How to:
- Retrieval practice.
- Spaced review.
- Short summaries and recall prompts.
Internalisation: The Transformation
This is where learning becomes identity. Poor learning ends with:
“I don’t know how to use this.”
“This isn’t part of my world.”
These emotions of fear, inadequacy, self-criticism stop behaviour change in its tracks.
Internalisation creates the opposite emotional arc. It produces agency. When learners practise, reflect, try things out, and receive feedback, they feel themselves growing. They experience competence. Ericsson & Harwell (2019) showed that deliberate practice, focused practice with feedback is one of the strongest predictors of skill development and confidence.
Emotionally, internalisation feels like:
“I can do this now.”
“This is becoming part of me.”
How to:
- Deliberate practice with feedback.
- Real-world scenarios.
- Reflection & discussion.
- Meaningful challenges that build capability over time.
In Short: The Two Journeys
With ASRI → upward emotional arc:
Curiosity → Clarity → Confidence → Capability
Without ASRI → downward emotional arc:
Disinterest → Confusion → Helplessness → Inadequacy
Closing
Poor learning triggers negative emotions that shut down engagement, memory, and motivation. Good learning unlocks positive emotions that fuel curiosity, confidence, and action.
“ASRI isn’t just about cognition it’s about emotion. With ASRI, learning can feel like progress. Without it, learning can feel like punishment”
So…learning isn’t just a cognitive exercise. It’s an emotional one. If you fancy chatting about any of this, give me shout at kurt@bemorelnd.co.uk or via the contacts link.
Reference List
Clewett, D., Sakaki, M. and Mather, M., 2024. Emotional arousal lingers in time to bind discrete episodes in memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, (early view).
Davis, R.L. and Zhong, Y., 2017. The biology of forgetting – A perspective. Neuron, 95(3), pp.490–503.
Ericsson, K.A. and Harwell, K.W., 2019. Deliberate practice and proposed limits on the effects of practice on the acquisition of expert performance: Why the original definition matters and recommendations for future research. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, pp.1–21.
Fiorella, L., 2023. A generative sense-making framework for learning. Educational Psychology Review, 35, pp.1–25.
Keller, A.S., Davidesco, I. and Tanner, K.D., 2020. Attention matters: How orchestrating attention may relate to classroom learning. CBE – Life Sciences Education, 19(2), pp.1–9.
Kensinger, E.A., 2017. Are emotional memories special? Frontiers in Psychology, 8, pp.1–19.
Larsen, D.P., 2018. Planning education for long-term retention: The cognitive science and implementation of retrieval practice. Seminars in Neurology, 38(3), pp.301–312.
Priniski, S.J., Hecht, C.A. and Harackiewicz, J.M., 2018. Making learning personally meaningful: A new framework for relevance research. Journal of Experimental Education, 86(1), pp.11–29.