Emotional disparities in JOL reactivity: validating the enhanced learning engagement theory

Research suggests that making Judgments of Learning (JOLs) can significantly influence memory performance, commonly known as JOL reactivity. While recent investigations have highlighted the role of learning material attributes in JOL reactivity, the impact of emotions on this process has received less attention. Additionally, the cognitive mechanisms underlying JOL reactivity remain debated. This study aimed to investigate the influence of emotion on JOL reactivity and its associated cognitive mechanisms. In Experiment 1, participants were assigned to make JOLs or refrain from such judgments while learning adjectives with positive, negative, and neutral valences. Subsequently, they underwent a recognition test. The results revealed that participants displayed JOL reactivity when exposed to positive and neutral words, but not when encountering negative words. Experiment 2, utilizing nouns as learning material and manipulating the emotion of new words in the recognition test, replicated the findings of Experiment 1. Collectively, both experiments demonstrated distinct effects of emotions on JOL reactivity. These findings provide support for the enhanced learning engagement theory of JOL reactivity.