The Effects of Positive and Negative Mood on Cognition and Motivation in Multimedia Learning Environment

The Cognitive-Affective Theory of Learning with Media framework posits that the multimedia learning process is mediated by the learner’s mood. Recent studies have shown that positive mood has a facilitating effect on multimedia learning. Though literature has shown that negative mood encourages an individual to engage in a more systematic, elaborate, and analytical cognitive processing, this effect has not been empirically tested in the context of multimedia learning. The work is supported by two experiments. Experiment 1 was conducted to determine if the facilitating effects of positive mood found in previous works can be replicated with a multimedia learning system that teaches basic programming algorithm to learners at an Asian university. Experiment 2 investigated the effects of induced negative mood on learners’ cognition and motivation in a multimedia learning environment. Results revealed that negative mood enhanced intrinsic motivation and germane load, while reducing learning transfer. Learning transfer was enhanced by the presence of positive moods among males. Moreover, positive mood had a favorable effect on germane load, extraneous load, and intrinsic motivation. Theoretical and practical implications related to affective learning are discussed in this paper.