Exploring the relationship between emotion and cognitive load types during patient handovers

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Cognitive Psychology
• Workplace Learning

Background:

• Cognitive Load Theory is key for improving health professions education, especially during patient handovers.
• Emotions significantly impact learning by affecting motivation, attention, and memory.
• The interplay between emotion and cognitive load in workplace learning is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how trainee emotions influence cognitive load during patient handovers.
• To identify emotional dimensions and their relationship with different types of cognitive load.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to 693 residents and fellows after patient handovers.
• Participants reported their emotional state and perceived cognitive load.
• Factor analysis identified emotion dimensions; regression analyses examined their link to cognitive load.

Main Results:

• Two emotion dimensions, invigoration and tranquility, were identified.
• Higher levels of invigoration and tranquility were associated with lower intrinsic and extraneous cognitive load.
• The interaction of these emotions predicted lower germane cognitive load, explaining significant variance.

Conclusions:

• Emotions play a significant role in modulating cognitive load during clinical learning.
• Instructional designers should incorporate emotion regulation strategies to optimize learning and performance.
• This study offers a model for measuring emotions in workplace learning environments.