Boredom as an Epistemic Emotion

• In Event: 16.022 - Boredom at School: Antecedents, Outcomes, and Coping Strategies

Abstract

The present research investigated boredom as an epistemic emotion. Epistemic emotions relate to the knowledge-generating qualities of cognitive tasks and cognitive activities (Pekrun & Stephens, 2012). As such, they differ from other types of emotions in terms of object focus. For example, whereas achievement emotions relate to success and failure in performing cognitive activities, epistemic emotions pertain to the cognitive qualities of these activities. A prototypical case is discrepant information and cognitive incongruity that can induce surprise and curiosity (Kang et al., 2009), confusion when the incongruity cannot be resolved (Craig, D’Mello, Witherspoon, & Graesser, 2008), anxiety in case of severe incongruity, enjoyment when the problem gets solved, and frustration as well as boredom when resolution of the incongruity cannot be achieved (D’Mello & Graesser, 2012). Both positive activating epistemic emotions (e.g., curiosity and enjoyment) and negative activating epistemic emotions (e.g., confusion) can be beneficial for epistemic cognitive activities (Kang et al., 2009). By contrast, the negative deactivating emotion boredom should generally be detrimental for cognitive problem solving, learning, and achievement (Pekrun et al., 2010, in press). In the present research, we tested this proposition for students’ boredom during epistemic learning activities.
In two studies with university students (Study 1: N = 438 students from Canada, the US, and Germany, mean age 21.76 years, 82% female; Study 2: N = 191 German students, mean age 21.98 years, 76% female), we explored student’s affective dynamics during self-regulated learning about different scientific topics (climate change, medical diseases) in learning environments that were designed to trigger cognitive incongruity. In Study 1, participants were requested to read conflicting texts about the causes and consequences of climate change. In Study 2, students collaborated with learning partners in acquiring controversial knowledge about medical diseases. Epistemic emotions (i.e., surprise, curiosity, joy, anger, confusion, anxiety, and boredom) during learning were measured using the Epistemic Emotion Scales (Pekrun, Meier, Muis, & Sinatra, 2014) that assess state epistemic emotions during cognitive activities.
Findings on the development, antecedents, and outcomes of boredom will be presented. Preliminary findings indicate that activating epistemic emotions (surprise, curiosity, joy, confusion, anxiety, and frustration) were positively correlated, suggesting that these emotions are linked along the arousal dimension of emotions rather than the valence dimension. Boredom was distinct from this pattern in terms of correlating negatively with positively valenced emotions, and positively with negatively valenced emotions. Furthermore, our results support the proposition that boredom undermines epistemic cognitive activity. Results of Study 1 showed that boredom correlated negatively with students’ use of learning strategies, including rehearsal, critical thinking, elaboration, and metacognitive self-regulation (rs = -.24, -.19, -.23, and -.20, respectively; all ps < .001). Findings of Study 2 revealed that boredom correlated negatively learning outcomes (r = -.22, p < .01). These findings suggest that boredom undermines epistemic cognitive activities and learning. Implications for boredom theories and educational practice will be discussed.

Authors

• Elisabeth Vogl, LMU Munich

• Reinhard Pekrun, University of Essex

• Karsten Stegmann, University of Munich

• Krista R. Muis, McGill University

• Gale M. Sinatra, University of Southern California