The effect of an agent tutor’s integration of cognitive and emotional gestures on cognitive load, motivation, and achievement - Research Article

Oct 15, 2026

This study examines how an agent tutor’s cognitive and emotional gestures in a multimedia learning environment shape learners’ cognitive load, learning motivation, and achievement. Positive and negative gesture sets were developed and integrated, with effects tested across three student groups using one-way ANOVA. Results indicate positive emotion design improves intrinsic cognitive load, motivation, and achievement while raising extrinsic load. Negative-passive learners still show better learning than cognition-only, highlighting the value of emotional and cognitive design.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Research Aim

Method

Results

INTRODUCTION

Background: Multimedia Learning and Agent Tutors

Cognitive Load and Signaling Principles

Cognitive-Affective Theory and Emotional Interaction

Research Gap and Rationale

Contemporary Educational Technology, 2024, 16(1), ep491 ISSN: 1309-517X (Online) |
OPEN ACCESS | Research Article | | | --- | --- | --- | | The effect of an agent tutor’s integration of cognitive and emotional gestures on cognitive load, motivation, and achievement
Soonri Choi 1,2
0000-0003-3479-6126
Soomin Kang 2
0000-0002-5056-6382
Kyungmin Lee 1,2
0009-0008-7408-5293
Hongjoo Ju 1
0000-0003-1549-1829
Jihoon Song 1*
0000-0003-2784-2358
1 Hanyang University, Seoul, SOUTH KOREA
2 Kwangwoon University, Seoul, SOUTH KOREA
* Corresponding author: [psu.jihoonsong@gmail.com](psu.jihoonsong@gmail.com)
Citation: Choi, S., Kang, S., lee, K., Ju, H., & Song, J. (2024). The effect of an agent tutor’s integration of cognitive and emotional gestures on cognitive load, motivation, and achievement. Contemporary Educational Technology, 16(1), ep491 .
[https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/14101](https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/14101)
ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT | | | | Received: 20 Aug 2023 This study proposes that the gestures of an agent tutor in a multimedia learning environment Accepted: 30 Nov 2023 can generate positive and negative emotions in learners and influence their cognitive processes.
To achieve this, we developed and integrated positive and negative agent tutor gestures in a multimedia learning environment directed by cognitive gestures. The effects of emotion type on cognition were examined in terms of cognitive load, learning motivation, and achievement. The subjects were 46 university students in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The students were divided into three learner groups: cognition, cognition + negative emotion, and cognition + positive emotion. The learners watched a tutorial lecture on the Notion note-taking app by an agent tutor. Data analysis was conducted using one-way ANOVA to determine the cognitive load, learning motivation, and achievement. The results showed that the positive emotion design was more effective in terms of intrinsic cognitive load, learning motivation, and achievement but hada higher extrinsic cognitive load. However, even the negative + passive group showed more positive learning than the cognition group. Although this study focused on gestures by an agent tutor, it implies that such gestures in multimedia learning contexts must be informed by emotional as well as cognitive design to provide a more meaningful learning experience.
Keywords: agent tutor, gesture effect, cognitive theory model, cognitive-affective model
INTRODUCTION | | | Using an agent tutor is an approach to multimedia learning that replaces instructors and guides the entire learning process. The agent tutor design method encourages active cognitive processing and promotes quality learning outcomes, which in turn generates social responses (Li et al., 2022) . Learning is a complex process involving cognitive and emotional processes (Schunk, 2011) . This study of gestures in agent tutors takes a different approach based on cognitive load theory and cognitive affective theory. From the perspective of cognitive load theory, the gestures of the agent tutor should only be used for elements that are relevant to the learning content in order to reduce extrinsic cognitive load (Sweller et al., 2011) . Based on the signaling principle (Mayer, 2021), the agent tutor’s gesture can help cognitive processing of key learning information by focusing attention. From the perspective of cognitive affective theory, the agent tutor’s gestures should be used for elements that can promote the learner’s emotions and motivation (Mayer, 2020b) . The agent tutor can act as a social partner; therefore, its gestures generate emotional interactions, stimulate positive emotions, and allow immersion in a state, where learning is effectively carried out through positive emotions (Lawson et al., 2021) . In terms of cognition, the design of an agent tutor’s gesture is more effective when conn

FAQs

What does the study propose about agent tutor gestures?

The study proposes that agent tutor gestures can generate both positive and negative emotions and thereby influence learners’ cognitive processes, cognitive load, motivation, and achievement.

How was the experiment structured?

The research tested three learner groups—cognition, cognition plus negative emotion, and cognition plus positive emotion—using a tutorial lecture on the Notion note-taking app by an agent tutor.

What were the main findings about positive versus negative emotion designs?

Positive emotion design was more effective for intrinsic cognitive load, learning motivation, and achievement, though it led to a higher extrinsic cognitive load. Even the negative + passive group showed more positive learning than the cognition-only group.

Oct 15, 2026

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