Utilizing Posture & Self-Reported Emotive States to Examine the Self-Validation

Theory

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Learning & Emotion Lab •  Focuses on uncovering the relationships between students;

learning and their emotional (i.e., affective states. The research goals include refining psychological theory and developing educational applications, such as emotionally adaptive learning environments.

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Current Projects Posture Analysis • Determining students’ emotional states through their postures.

Self-Report Assessment • Determining students’ emotional states through the Affect Map self-report instrument.

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Background

•  Self-Validation Theory proposes that posture has a significant affect on the self-evaluation of ones’ emotions.

•  “The results indicated that subjects who were placed in a hunched, threatened physical posture verbally reported self-perceptions of greater stress than subjects who were placed in a relaxed position.”

(Gotay & Riskind, 1982) 4

Assessment Techniques

•  Internal - Observations Reference Frame – Self-reports – Affect Map

•  External - Observations Reference Frame – Behavioral Traces – Kinect Device

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•  Activation (Energy) Represented vertically, with higher levels of energy toward the top and lower levels of energy toward the bottom

•  Valence: (Pleasure) Represented horizontally, with “positive” feelings (pleasant) toward the right and “negative” feelings (unpleasant) toward the left

Affect Map

High Activation (+)

Low Activation

Low

Val

ence

Hig

h V

alen

ce (+

)

Kinect Device •  Records participants head movement in distance from screen •  Y- Position refers to the distance above or below (vertically) the Kinect

- set at about shoulder level. Indictor of activation? •  Z - Position refers to the distance from the joint (horizontally) to the

Kinect - placed above the computer screen. Indicator of engagement?

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Kinect

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Procedure •  Algebra Problems: •  Difficulty Level 1 (Easy): X = 9 – 5 + 3 •  Difficulty Level 2 (Medium): X = (9*6)/2 -

17 •  Difficulty Level 3 (Hard): 3X = (9-3)3 –

(7+2)2 – 21

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Open Sesame

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Results

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Thank you! If you have any questions, please contact:

Dr. Roger S. Taylor| roger.taylor@oswego.edu

Matthew C. Doyle| mdoyle@oswego.edu

Or visit: www.learningandemotionlab.org

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