Given the recent rise in online hate activity and the increased amount of time adolescents spend with media, more research is needed on their experiences with racial discrimination in virtual... Show More

Given the recent rise in online hate activity and the increased amount of time adolescents spend with media, more research is needed on their experiences with racial discrimination in virtual environments. This cross-sectional study examines the association between amount of time spent online, traditional and online racial discrimination and adolescent adjustment, including depressive symptoms, anxiety and externalizing behaviors. The study also explores the role that social identities, including race and gender, play in these associations. Online surveys were administered to 627 sixth through twelfth graders in K-8, middle and high schools. Multiple regression results revealed that discrimination online was associated with all three outcome variables. Additionally, a significant interaction between online discrimination by time online was found for externalizing behaviors indicating that increased time online and higher levels of online discrimination are associated with more problem behavior. This study highlights the need for clinicians, educational professionals and researchers to attend to race-related experiences online as well as in traditional environments.

This selective review synthesizes and draws recommendations from the fields of affective computing, intelligent tutoring systems, and psychology to describe and discuss the emotions that learners... Show More

This selective review synthesizes and draws recommendations from the fields of affective computing, intelligent tutoring systems, and psychology to describe and discuss the emotions that learners report experiencing while interacting with agent-based learning environments (ABLEs). Theoretically driven explanations are provided that describe the relative effectiveness and ineffectiveness of different ABLE features to foster adaptive emotions (e.g., engagement, curiosity) vs. non-adaptive emotions (e.g., frustration, boredom) in six different environments. This review provides an analytical lens to evaluate and improve upon research with ABLEs by identifying specific system features and their relationship with learners' appraisals and emotions.

In this paper, the authors examine digital environments as a learning spaces and site of extended cognition by demonstrating the presence of active learning in both video games and their linked... Show More

In this paper, the authors examine digital environments as a learning spaces and site of extended cognition by demonstrating the presence of active learning in both video games and their linked online collaborative communities. The authors use Shaun Gallagher's theory of extended mind to posit the notion that the shared cognitive space created in the game between creator and player can be extend to include many others through the digital communities of those players though gaming literacy. The authors conducted a think-aloud protocol with participants playing Yume Nikki, a minimalist Japanese indie game, then reading materials on hikikomori, a condition the creator is believed to have. They conclude from their results that active and creative learning of human communities should not be undervalued when designing virtual environments even when the environment is single-player.

This article explores the set of emotions expressed by middle school youth (n = 96) when participating in a social computer game. In this article, we present the design of the game, the instruments... Show More

This article explores the set of emotions expressed by middle school youth (n = 96) when participating in a social computer game. In this article, we present the design of the game, the instruments used to assess bullying in the physical world, and the analysis of the emotions expressed during gameplay and their association with aggressive behaviors. Participants completed surveys on bullying experiences prior to playing the game. The game required participants to form teams and answer two sets of trivia questions, in competitive and cooperative stages. Results show a relation between the roles that participants have in their physical social environment and how they play the virtual game, in terms of the type of emotions they display.