human cognition and aesthetic design in pedagogy and online learning
TRANSCRIPT
HUMAN COGNITION AND AESTHETIC DESIGN IN
PEDAGOGY AND ONLINE LEARNING
S E T H P O R T E R
G E O R G I A T E C H L I B R A R Y
The Literature & Framework
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“Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary study of mind and intelligence, embracing philosophy, psychology, artificial intelligence, neuroscience,
linguistics, and anthropology. Its intellectual origins are in the mid-1950s when researchers in several fields began to develop theories of mind based on complex representations and computational procedures. Its
organizational origins are in the mid-1970s when the Cognitive Science Society was formed and the journal Cognitive Science began. Since then,
more than ninety universities in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia have established cognitive science programs, and many others
have instituted courses in cognitive science.”
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How Learning Works
Long-Term Memory
activatio
n
attentionencoding
Sensory Input
Long Term
Memory
Working Memory
Aesthetics as education
• Charlotte Mason described “education as an atmosphere” – education atmosphere can be expressed as information
literacy.
– Aesthetics are a way to create an education atmosphere, whether that is a physical space, teaching & learning environment or virtual design.• However it is not art.
– Art is something tangible and enduring. “Aesthetic” is generally thought of as an emotional response produced by a work of art or an artistic looking (or sounding) environment or event (Martin 1986)..
“Aesthetics is not art, and it is not being an artist. It is a holistic, intuitive discipline. Eisner (1982) states “that aesthetics is
distinct from art in that art generally implies making something. Aesthetics, on the other hand, is related to the experience
secured from things already made… ‘aesthetic’ is more closely associated with the experience or appreciation of such
form.” In this interpretation aesthetics it is almost art, but art as an experience (Dewey 1934/1989). “
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Aesthetics as education
John Dewey intuitively understood this connection, “Aesthetic describes a category
of experience. Aesthetic experiences are heightened, immersive, and particularly meaningful ones” (Dewey 1934/1989).
Holistic understanding of the education atmosphere
“Learning experiences have many qualities, including cognitive ones, of course, but they also have emotional, social, cultural,
political, and aesthetic” (Parish 2009 pg.4 ). Most importantly for instructional designers, information literacy scholars, and
instruction librarians, aesthetics can help learners connect with the material synchronously and asynchronously, and this all has an
effect on information retention, which is the ultimate goal of instructional designers and instruction librarians
Blink• Human beings cannot separate critical thinking and analysis
from their instinctual gut reaction. – Students cannot define between how they feel and how they think
about education content. Empirical research on emotion and cognition suggests the aesthetically pleasing objects affects our emotions positively. For that reason it encourages learning and information retention (Norman 2004; Miller 2011).
• Research suggests that aesthetics aid in the self-control over their education atmosphere, and this compounds with the research in the fields of behavioral economics that show that self-control is limited (Norman, 1988; Hassenzahl, 2004; Tractinksy, 2004; Gailliot 2007, Vohs 2007; Muraven, Tice & Baumeister 1998).–The Atmospheres matters, the space, the design, the virtual
presence.
EvolutionAtmosphere matters:
Beauty is the moving experience associated with information processing by aesthetic judgment adaptations when they perceive information of
evolutionary historical promise of high reproductive success. The classic example of evolutionary aesthetics is that humans on average find
symmetry attractive in potential mates. And in fact, even today, facial symmetry is correlated with reproductive health, and so it is plausible
that rapidly detecting and being attracted to facial symmetry is an aesthetic judgment adaptation that could have led to relatively higher
reproductive success (Thornhill & Gangestad 1993). Evolutionary aesthetics also convincingly explains a wide range of other responses,
including an aversion to slithering snake-like objects and a preference for landscapes that provide protection and vantage points. A central tenet of evolutionary aesthetics is that adaptations are shared by essentially the
entire species and so to the extent that an adaptation explains an aesthetic response, it does so universally (Ulrich 2008, pg.3)
Intuition• Aesthetics are closely tied to cognition:
– There are three levels of emotional design, parallel to the brain’s three levels of processing: the visceral level, the behavioral level, and the reflective level” (Miller, 2011).
– Visceral design is focused on the immediate appearances and embraces the emotion and the moment, including aesthetic metrics such as feel, look, and even color. Think about what the color red communicates, anger, warmth, and fire; this is all part of the aesthetic experience and is elemental (Norman 2004; Miller 2011) (Aslam, 2012).
• Aesthetics are inherent to human beings as a species and contribute to overcoming negative emotional responses in an education atmosphere.
Cognitive Load Theory
• Extraneous cognitive load is the cognitive demands of navigating instructions and information to be learned (Miller 2014).
Extraneous cognitive load is generated by the manner in which information is presented to learners and is under the control of
instructional designers. This load can be attributed to the design of the instructional materials. Because there is a single, limited cognitive
resource, using resources to process the extraneous load reduces the amount of resources available to process the intrinsic load and
germane load (i.e., learning). Thus, especially when intrinsic and/or germane load is high (i.e., when a problem is difficult), materials should
be designed so as to reduce the extraneous load.
Aesthetic Design
Pretty things• Depending on the message to be communicated designers
choose different colors, and this is key to aesthetic design and an education atmosphere (Aslam, 2012).
• Two Japanese researcher, Karuso and Kashmira (1995, 1997). set up two identical ATM machines that were completely functional. However there was one key difference. On one machine the buttons were aesthetically designed and the machine was much more attractive than the other. In all three studies, 1995, 1997, and 2004 when it was replicated in Israel, the subjects repeatedly had much less trouble using the more attractive machine. The attractive machines actually worked better because of the design.
Salesmanship
Mark Boulton (2005) a usability expert uses the example of car design. Cars
sell because of the design. Take a moment to picture two cars, one
attractive, and one built for utility. The attractive car made you smile, or crave
to be behind the wheel, and it made you feel or connected you to a memory or a dream. These images are seared
into our subconscious, and good design and attractive objects create an
emotional response (Boulton, 2005).
Okay, but how?
Reduce Cognitive Load
• Present some information via the visual channel and some via the verbal channelIf all of the content is processed visually i.e. via text, pictures or animations, the visual channel can become overloaded. Using narration transfers some of the content to the verbal channel thereby spreading the load between the channels and improving processing capacity.
• Break content into smaller segments and allow the learner to control the paceIf the content is complex and the pace is too fast, the learner may not have enough time to effectively process the information. Breaking complex content into smaller chunks and allowing the learner to control the speed of the learning lets them to process the information more effectively.
• Remove non-essential contentBackground music and decorative graphics may appear to make the eLearning more interesting. However, these elements require incidental processing and increase extraneous load. If the content doesn’t support the instructional goal, it should be removed.
• Words should be placed close as possible to the corresponding graphicsWhen text is located away from the corresponding graphic, learners are forced to scan the screen in order to align the text to the graphic which requires additional cognitive processing. Placing the text close to the corresponding graphic improves the transfer of information.
• Don’t narrate on-screen text word-for-wordWhen on-screen text is narrated, the same information is presented to learners via both channels. Rather than spreading the load, learners are forced to process the same information twice which means that there is a great deal of redundancy. If using narration, the on-screen text should be a summary.
https://elearningindustry.com/5-ways-to-reduce-cognitive-load-in-elearning
Aesthetic best practices
Types of visual design:
In library instruction and e-learning for academic librarians the fundamental concepts for good
aesthetic instructional design are the following:
1. Decoration: Decoration should be coherent with content. 2. Visuals: Visuals can help with a progression or flow over time. 3. Conceptual Metaphorical: : Visuals help information easier to process and
can clarify a complex metaphor
These three elements are the foundation of aesthetic design. With that said the following
section will cover the framework to follow in aesthetic information literacy instruction.
Guidelines for Information Literacy Instruction & E-learning in Libraries
Williams (1994), gleaned from Hancock (2004) breaks the entire concept of visual design
down into four basic principles “Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity” (pg.18). These
basic principles can then be subdivided further into visual elements such as, type, color, size, line
design, shape, and space. Below are best practices gathered from the research synthesis for sound
aesthetic design.
1. Contrast: Contrasting all elements to make different ideas very different.
2. Repetition: Repeating the use of the same visuals for specific content enhances information retention.
3. Alignment: All elements should have connection to other elements on the page.
Do not put a pretty picture just because it is pretty.
4. Proximity & Uniformity: Items that relate to each other should be grouped close together to make them one visual unit. This helps organize the page visually and clusters similar information together.
5. Picture Superiority: Images will help with information recall and memory
Cognitive psychologist have shown that interacting with nature reduces cognitive load and increases ability to focus attention, and even more surprisingly pictures of nature can improve performance (Miller 2014).
Nature, a neat trick
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