Remembered Utility of Unpleasant and Pleasant Learning Experiences: Is All Well that Ends Well?

Abstract

Retrospective evaluation of the pain or pleasure associated with past episodes (i.e. remembered utility) is mainly determined by how the episodes felt when they were at their peak, and when they ended (Kahneman, Fredrickson, Schreiber, & Redelmeier, 1993). Two experiments were conducted to investigate whether this memory bias known as the peak-end rule also affects the remembered utility of learning episodes and shapes study behaviour. Both the first experiment, which focused on unpleasant learning experiences imposing a very high cognitive load, and the second experiment, which focused on pleasant learning experiences imposing a low cognitive load, presented primary school children with a short study list and an extended study list with English-Dutch word pairs. Results showed that study experiences that ended on an experienced peak affect were evaluated as easier to learn and easier to cope with. These measures of remembered utility shaped children's immediate and delayed study behaviour. In addition, the pattern of affect induced by the word pairs that were added to the extended study list in both experiments suggests that the experience with new learning tasks is relative to the affect induced by the original learning task. The findings are congruent with the peak-end rule and support the position that the design of learning environments could be improved by taking remembered utility into account.

Mental effort and discomfort: Testing the peak-end effect during a cognitively demanding task

“…We are not the first to investigate whether peak-end and duration neglect effects apply to cognitively demanding tasks. Finn [ 16 ] has begun to address these questions (see also Hoogerheide & Paas [ 17 ]) and in the present study we extend these findings. Finn had participants compare two learning situations.…”

Boundary conditions of the remembered success effect.

“…The results of the current experiments, in conjunction with previous research on the remembered success effect (Finn, 2010; Finn & Miele, 2016; Hoogerheide & Paas, 2012), have important implications for educational practice. Students ranging from K-12 to university classrooms are expected to complete challenging tasks that they may find challenging or even aversive.…”

Retrospective utility of educational experiences: Converging research from education and judgment and decision-making.

“…The findings of Finn (2010) have been replicated and extended in several ways. For example, Hoogerheide and Paas (2012) replicated Finn’s finding with 10–12 year old children. Using a similar vocabulary task to Finn (2010), the researchers assessed children’s retrospective evaluations of unpleasant learning experiences.…”