Colors and Learner’s Gender Evoke Different Emotional and Cognitive Effects in Multimedia Learning

The emotional design principle avers that highly saturated warm colors in multimedia learning presentations can elevate affective-motivational, cognitive, and outcomes. While achromatic grayscale color tones have been explored extensively, relatively less research examines the effects of cold learning. This study explores how (warm, cold, grayscale) learners’ gender influence positive emotions, intrinsic motivation, cognitive load, transfer performance. An online experiment was conducted where learners pursuing IT courses an Asian university ( n = 204 ) engaged with either one lessons on distributed denial-of-service attack imbued (1) a tone, (2) (3) tone. Findings show tone associated fewer enhanced emotion types than other tones. Compared to id="M2"> M 2.38 , id="M3"> SD 1.88 ), significantly higher extraneous load ratings were observed id="M4"> 3.26 id="M5"> 1.96 id="M6"> 3.24 id="M7"> 2.18 ). Following reports by some learners, this could be attributed overly vivid chromatic impairing visual processes, causing them rate experience as more difficult Male condition id="M8"> 4.93 id="M9"> 3.46 performed marginally better posttest male id="M10"> 3.49 id="M11"> 3.45 id="M12"> 3.44 id="M13"> 2.69 In contrast, female id="M14"> 1.75 id="M15"> 1.62 worse id="M16"> 3.83 id="M17"> 3.92 id="M18"> 3.67 id="M19"> 2.50 Overall, these results shape learning—the enhance but stifle Moreover, aligns recent studies feature may lead ratings. paper discusses theoretical practical implications submits future outlook for broadening domain.