Communications of the ACM
Confusion Can Be Beneficial For Learning: Study
Credit: University of Notre Dame
Confusion when learning can be beneficial if it is properly induced, effectively regulated, and ultimately resolved, according to a University of Notre Dame study.
The researchers found that by strategically inducing confusion in a learning session on difficult conceptual topics, people learned more effectively and were able to apply their knowledge to new problems.
In a series of experiments, participants learned scientific reasoning concepts through interactions with computer-animated agents playing the roles of a tutor and a peer learner. The animated agents and the subject engaged in interactive conversations in which they collaboratively discussed the merits of sample research studies that were flawed in one critical aspect. Confusion was induced by manipulating the information the subjects received so the animated agents sometimes disagreed with each other and expressed contradictory or incorrect information. The subjects who were confused scored higher on a difficult post-test and could more successfully identify flaws in new case studies.
"We have been investigating links between emotions and learning for almost a decade, and find that confusion can be beneficial to learning if appropriately regulated because it can cause learners to process the material more deeply in order to resolve their confusion," says Notre Dame professor Sidney D'Mello.
From Notre Dame News
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