This document discusses the role of aesthetics and cognitive science in pedagogy and online learning. It argues that aesthetics can help create an engaging "education atmosphere" that aids information retention. Research shows that visually pleasing designs can positively impact emotions and reduce cognitive load. The document outlines principles of aesthetic design like contrast, repetition and alignment. It also discusses how images, nature scenes and conceptual metaphors can clarify complex topics. Overall, the document advocates applying principles from cognitive science to the aesthetic design of educational materials and online learning environments.

1. HUMAN COGNITION AND
AESTHETIC DESIGN IN
PEDAGOGY AND ONLINE
LEARNING
S E TH PO RTE R
GEORGIA TECH LIBRARY

2. The Literature &
Framework

3. “

4. “
“Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary study of mind and intelligence,
embracing philosophy, psychology, artificial intelligence, neuroscience,
linguistics, and anthropology. Its intellectual origins are in the mid-1950s
when researchers in several fields began to develop theories of mind
based on complex representations and computational procedures. Its
organizational origins are in the mid-1970s when the Cognitive Science
Society was formed and the journal Cognitive Science began. Since then,
more than ninety universities in North America, Europe, Asia, and
Australia have established cognitive science programs, and many others
have instituted courses in cognitive science.”

5. “

6. How Learning Works
Long-Term
Memory
encoding
Sensory
Input
Long
Term
Memory
Working Memory

14. Aesthetics as
education
• Charlotte Mason described “education as an atmosphere”
– education atmosphere can be expressed as information
literacy.
– Aesthetics are a way to create an education atmosphere,
whether that is a physical space, teaching & learning
environment or virtual design.
• However it is not art.
– Art is something tangible and enduring. “Aesthetic” is
generally thought of as an emotional response produced
by a work of art or an artistic looking (or sounding)
environment or event (Martin 1986)..

15. “Aesthetics is not art, and it is not being an artist. It is a holistic, intuitive discipline. Eisner (1982) states “that aesthetics is
distinct from art in that art generally implies making something. Aesthetics, on the other hand, is related to the experience
secured from things already made… ‘aesthetic’ is more closely associated with the experience or appreciation of such
form.” In this interpretation aesthetics it is almost art, but art as an experience (Dewey 1934/1989). “

17. =“

18. Aesthetics as education
John Dewey intuitively understood this
connection, “Aesthetic describes a category of
experience. Aesthetic experiences are
heightened, immersive, and particularly
meaningful ones” (Dewey 1934/1989).
Holistic understanding of the education
atmosphere

19. “Learning experiences have many qualities, including cognitive
ones, of course, but they also have emotional, social, cultural,
political, and aesthetic” (Parish 2009 pg.4 ). Most importantly for
instructional designers, information literacy scholars, and
instruction librarians, aesthetics can help learners connect with
the material synchronously and asynchronously, and this all has an
effect on information retention, which is the ultimate goal of
instructional designers and instruction librarians

22. Blink
• Human beings cannot separate critical thinking and
analysis from their instinctual gut reaction.
– Students cannot define between how they feel and how
they think about education content. Empirical research on
emotion and cognition suggests the aesthetically pleasing
objects affects our emotions positively. For that reason it
encourages learning and information retention (Norman
2004; Miller 2011).
• Research suggests that aesthetics aid in the self-
control over their education atmosphere, and this
compounds with the research in the fields of
behavioral economics that show that self-control is
limited (Norman, 1988; Hassenzahl, 2004;
Tractinksy, 2004; Gailliot 2007, Vohs 2007;

25. Evolution
Atmosphere matters:
Beauty is the moving experience associated with information
processing by aesthetic judgment adaptations when they
perceive information of evolutionary historical promise of high
reproductive success. The classic example of evolutionary
aesthetics is that humans on average find symmetry attractive
in potential mates. And in fact, even today, facial symmetry is
correlated with reproductive health, and so it is plausible that
rapidly detecting and being attracted to facial symmetry is an
aesthetic judgment adaptation that could have led to relatively
higher reproductive success (Thornhill & Gangestad 1993).
Evolutionary aesthetics also convincingly explains a wide
range of other responses, including an aversion to slithering
snake-like objects and a preference for landscapes that
provide protection and vantage points. A central tenet of

27. Intuition
• Aesthetics are closely tied to cognition:
– There are three levels of emotional design, parallel to
the brain’s three levels of processing: the visceral level,
the behavioral level, and the reflective level” (Miller,
2011).
– Visceral design is focused on the immediate appearances
and embraces the emotion and the moment, including
aesthetic metrics such as feel, look, and even color.
Think about what the color red communicates, anger,
warmth, and fire; this is all part of the aesthetic
experience and is elemental (Norman 2004; Miller 2011)
(Aslam, 2012).
• Aesthetics are inherent to human beings as a species and
contribute to overcoming negative emotional responses in an
education atmosphere.

29. Cognitive Load Theory
• Extraneous cognitive load is the cognitive demands
of navigating instructions and information to be
learned (Miller 2014).
Extraneous cognitive load is generated by the manner in which
information is presented to learners and is under the control of
instructional designers. This load can be attributed to the design
of the instructional materials. Because there is a single, limited
cognitive resource, using resources to process the extraneous
load reduces the amount of resources available to process the
intrinsic load and germane load (i.e., learning). Thus, especially
when intrinsic and/or germane load is high (i.e., when a problem
is difficult), materials should be designed so as to reduce the
extraneous load.

31. Aesthetic Design

34. Pretty things
• Depending on the message to be communicated
designers choose different colors, and this is key to
aesthetic design and an education atmosphere
(Aslam, 2012).
• Two Japanese researcher, Karuso and Kashmira
(1995, 1997). set up two identical ATM machines
that were completely functional. However there was
one key difference. On one machine the buttons
were aesthetically designed and the machine was
much more attractive than the other. In all three
studies, 1995, 1997, and 2004 when it was
replicated in Israel, the subjects repeatedly had
much less trouble using the more attractive

37. Salesmanship
Mark Boulton (2005) a usability expert
uses the example of car design. Cars
sell because of the design. Take a
moment to picture two cars, one
attractive, and one built for utility. The
attractive car made you smile, or crave
to be behind the wheel, and it made
you feel or connected you to a memory
or a dream. These images are seared
into our subconscious, and good design
and attractive objects create an
emotional response (Boulton, 2005).

40. Okay, but
how?

41. Reduce Cognitive Load
• Present some information via the visual channel and some via the verbal channel
If all of the content is processed visually i.e. via text, pictures or animations, the visual channel can
become overloaded. Using narration transfers some of the content to the verbal channel thereby
spreading the load between the channels and improving processing capacity.
• Break content into smaller segments and allow the learner to control the pace
If the content is complex and the pace is too fast, the learner may not have enough time to
effectively process the information. Breaking complex content into smaller chunks and allowing the
learner to control the speed of the learning lets them to process the information more effectively.
• Remove non-essential content
Background music and decorative graphics may appear to make the eLearning more interesting.
However, these elements require incidental processing and increase extraneous load. If the content
doesn’t support the instructional goal, it should be removed.
• Words should be placed close as possible to the corresponding graphics
When text is located away from the corresponding graphic, learners are forced to scan the screen in
order to align the text to the graphic which requires additional cognitive processing. Placing the text
close to the corresponding graphic improves the transfer of information.
• Don’t narrate on-screen text word-for-word
When on-screen text is narrated, the same information is presented to learners via both channels.
Rather than spreading the load, learners are forced to process the same information twice which
means that there is a great deal of redundancy. If using narration, the on-screen text should be a
summary.
https://elearningindustry.com/5-ways-to-reduce-cognitive-load-in-elearning

43. Aesthetic best practices
Types of visual design:
In library instruction and e-learning for academic librarians the fundamental concepts for good
aesthetic instructional design are the following:
1. Decoration: Decoration should be coherent with content.
2. Visuals: Visuals can help with a progression or flow over time.
3. Conceptual Metaphorical: : Visuals help information easier to process and
can clarify a complex metaphor
These three elements are the foundation of aesthetic design. With that said the following
section will cover the framework to follow in aesthetic information literacy instruction.
Guidelines for Information Literacy Instruction & E-learning in Libraries
Williams (1994), gleaned from Hancock (2004) breaks the entire concept of visual design
down into four basic principles “Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity” (pg.18). These
basic principles can then be subdivided further into visual elements such as, type, color, size, line
design, shape, and space. Below are best practices gathered from the research synthesis for sound
aesthetic design.
1. Contrast: Contrasting all elements to make different ideas very different.
2. Repetition: Repeating the use of the same visuals for specific content enhances
information retention.
3. Alignment: All elements should have connection to other elements on the page.
Do not put a pretty picture just because it is pretty.
4. Proximity & Uniformity: Items that relate to each other should be grouped close
together to make them one visual unit. This helps organize the page visually and
clusters similar information together.
5. Picture Superiority: Images will help with information recall and memory

44. Cognitive psychologist have shown
that interacting with nature reduces
cognitive load and increases ability
to focus attention, and even more
surprisingly pictures of nature can
improve performance (Miller 2014).
Nature, a neat trick

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