| Course | EDP 818 Cognitive and Affective Principles in Psychology |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 7 |
| Paper type | Doctoral emotion and cognition paper |
| Length | About 1,013 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Doctor of Education |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for EDP 818 Module 7
Afraid to Call, Anxious to Learn: Emotion and Cognition in the First Year of Nursing
Student Name
Doctor of Education Program, Aspen University
EDP 818: Cognitive and Affective Principles in Psychology
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Afraid to Call, Anxious to Learn: Emotion and Cognition in the First Year of Nursing
In exit surveys from the composite Kansas City nurse residency, the word residents used most about their first three months was "scared." They were afraid of harming a patient, of being judged by experienced colleagues and of calling for help unnecessarily. Some said fear made them freeze; others said it made them hypervigilant. Dana, the director of clinical education, wanted to understand how these emotions shaped learning and decisions. Every resident described here is a composite, and so is the hospital. This paper reviews research on emotion and cognition.
Emotion in Good Decisions
Bechara et al. (1997) used a gambling task in which participants chose cards from four decks. Two decks offered large rewards but larger losses and were disadvantageous over time; two offered smaller rewards and smaller losses and were advantageous. Healthy participants began to choose advantageously before they could say why, and they showed anticipatory skin conductance responses, a bodily stress signal, before choosing from the risky decks. Patients with damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex did not develop these anticipatory responses and continued choosing from the risky decks even after they could describe which decks were bad. The authors argued that nonconscious emotional signals guide behavior before conscious knowledge does. The study has been debated, but it showed that emotion can contribute to good decisions.
Specific Emotions and Risk
Lerner and Keltner (2001) compared the effects of fear and anger on risk judgments. Both are negative emotions, but they involve different appraisals: fear involves uncertainty and lack of control, anger involves certainty and a sense of control. In their studies, fearful people made more pessimistic risk estimates and preferred safer options, while angry people made more optimistic estimates and preferred riskier options, resembling happy people. The emotion's appraisal pattern, not just whether it was pleasant or unpleasant, determined its effect.
Emotions in Learning
Pekrun (2006) proposed control-value theory to explain achievement emotions, the feelings people have about learning and performance activities and their outcomes. Emotions depend on two appraisals: perceived control over the activity and its outcomes, and the value placed on them. When an outcome matters greatly and control feels uncertain, anxiety follows. When control is high and the activity is valued, enjoyment follows. When value is low, boredom follows. These emotions in turn affect attention, motivation and learning strategies, with anxiety often narrowing attention and encouraging rigid strategies.
| Emotion | Effect | Research | Response |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anticipatory unease | Can signal real risk before analysis | Bechara et al. (1997) | Teach residents to treat unease as a cue to check |
| Fear | Higher risk estimates; avoidance | Lerner and Keltner (2001) | Clear escalation rules so fear prompts action, not freezing |
| Anger after conflict | Lower risk estimates; riskier choices | Lerner and Keltner (2001) | Pause before decisions after a conflict |
| Learning anxiety | Narrowed attention; rigid strategies | Pekrun (2006) | Build control through graded practice |
| Boredom with low-value tasks | Disengagement | Pekrun (2006) | Link tasks to patient outcomes |
Applying the Research
The research suggests that residents' fear has mixed effects. Bechara and colleagues' findings suggest that unease can be a useful signal; the worry rule introduced in the previous module puts that signal to use. Lerner and Keltner's findings suggest fear raises perceived risk, which can make residents cautious in helpful ways but can also make the social risk of calling for help loom large, contributing to freezing. Pekrun's theory explains why anxiety is high in the first months: the stakes are high and residents' sense of control is low.
Working With Emotion
The residency will work with emotion in three ways. First, building control: graded simulation practice, starting with simple scenarios and building to complex ones, increases residents' sense of control and, following Pekrun, reduces anxiety. Second, reappraisal: residents will learn to treat unease as information that something needs checking, and fear as a reason to follow escalation rules, rather than as a sign of incompetence. Third, peer support: monthly cohort sessions will let residents share fears, normalizing them.
Limits
The gambling task's interpretation remains debated, and the fear and anger studies used students and hypothetical judgments. The applications are reasonable inferences that the residency will evaluate through residents' anxiety ratings and escalation patterns.
Incidental Emotions
Emotions can carry over from one situation into unrelated decisions. A resident who has just been criticized by a physician may feel angry, and the findings of Lerner and Keltner (2001) suggest anger lowers perceived risk, which could make her less careful with the next patient. A resident frightened by one patient's crisis may overestimate risk with the next. Residents will learn to notice when a strong emotion from one event is present and to pause briefly before the next important decision, a simple time-delay strategy.
The Preceptor's Role
Preceptors shape the emotional climate of learning. A preceptor who responds to questions with impatience increases residents' sense of threat and lowers their sense of control, which Pekrun (2006) links to anxiety. A preceptor who welcomes questions and frames mistakes in simulation as learning increases control and value. Preceptor training will include how to give feedback that builds residents' sense of competence, how to share their own early fears and how to recognize a resident who is overwhelmed.
Measuring Emotional Outcomes
Residents will rate their anxiety and confidence at one, three and six months using a brief scale. The residency will also track how often residents seek help from preceptors and peer support sessions, since seeking help indicates that fear is prompting action rather than freezing.
Fear as Information
Residents will be taught a simple sequence when fear rises: name the feeling, ask what it is signaling and take the next defined step, such as checking vital signs or calling for help.
Conclusion
Bechara and colleagues showed emotion can guide good decisions, Lerner and Keltner showed that fear and anger push risk judgments in different directions and Pekrun explained how control and value produce learning emotions. For the residency, building control, reframing fear and offering peer support help new nurses learn and decide with their emotions rather than despite them.
References
Bechara, A., Damasio, H., Tranel, D., & Damasio, A. R. (1997). Deciding advantageously before knowing the advantageous strategy. Science, 275(5304), 1293-1295. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.275.5304.1293
Lerner, J. S., & Keltner, D. (2001). Fear, anger, and risk. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81(1), 146-159. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.81.1.146
Pekrun, R. (2006). The control-value theory of achievement emotions: Assumptions, corollaries, and implications for educational research and practice. Educational Psychology Review, 18(4), 315-341. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-006-9029-9
Reading the EDP 818 Module 7 assignment instructions
The seventh module of EDP 818 typically asks for a paper on emotion and cognition. Use the Module 7 instructions in your Aspen course; the hospital is invented. Review evidence that emotion contributes to reasoning and decisions. Explain how specific emotions affect judgment differently. Explain a theory of emotions in learning or achievement. Apply the research to a professional setting, considering both learning and decisions. Use APA 7, and avoid treating emotion only as a problem to be removed, since the research shows it can also improve judgment. Where your setting involves high stakes, explain how emotion affects both learning and on-the-job decisions, and propose responses for each.
How the EDP 818 Module 7 example is put together
New nurses in Dana's residency describe fear of harming patients and of looking incompetent. Bechara and colleagues' gambling task shows healthy participants developing anticipatory skin conductance responses to risky decks and choosing well before they could explain why, unlike patients with ventromedial prefrontal damage. Lerner and Keltner show fear raising and anger lowering risk estimates. Pekrun links achievement emotions to perceived control and value. A five-row table pairs emotions with their effects and responses, and the residency adds skills practice that builds control, reappraisal training and peer support. Sections address incidental emotions carried from one situation into another, preceptors' role in emotional climate and how anxiety will be measured.
Reading the EDP 818 Module 7 grading rubric
A strong emotion and cognition paper shows that emotion can help as well as harm and distinguishes the effects of specific emotions. This example uses the gambling task to show emotion's role in good decisions, the fear and anger study to explain why different emotions push judgment in different directions and control-value theory to explain anxiety in learning. The responses work with emotion: building control reduces anxiety, and reappraisal helps residents use fear as information without being overwhelmed by it. The paper also addresses incidental emotions, such as anger after a conflict carrying into the next decision, and the preceptor's role in the emotional climate of learning. Measures of anxiety and confidence are planned, so the emotional side of the residency is evaluated as seriously as its cognitive side. Limits of the laboratory studies are acknowledged.
EDP 818 Module 7 help from the desk
Emotion papers often treat emotion as noise in otherwise rational thinking. Present evidence that emotion contributes to good decisions. Distinguish specific emotions, since fear and anger affect risk judgments differently. Use a theory of learning emotions, such as control-value theory, to explain anxiety. Propose responses that build control and support rather than telling people not to feel. Distinguish emotions caused by the task from those carried in from elsewhere. Consider how teachers and supervisors shape learners' emotions. Measure emotional outcomes, not only performance. Acknowledge debates about classic studies such as the gambling task, and present emotion as part of judgment rather than an obstacle to it.
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EDP 818 Module 7 questions, answered
What does EDP 818 Module 7 usually ask for?
Aspen's EDP 818 covers emotion and cognition in this module, so a paper on how emotion shapes learning and decisions in a professional setting is typical. Read your Module 7 prompt for specifics.
Does emotion help decision making?
Bechara and colleagues found that bodily signals helped healthy participants choose advantageously in a gambling task before they could explain why.
How do fear and anger affect risk judgments?
Lerner and Keltner found fearful people judged risks as higher and preferred safer options, while angry people judged risks as lower, like happy people.
Where can I find a free EDP 818 Module 7 sample paper?
Here, in full: evidence on emotion in decisions and learning applied to a nurse residency, with a table of emotional effects and responses.
What is control-value theory?
Pekrun's theory that achievement emotions, such as anxiety, enjoyment and boredom, depend on how much control learners feel and how much they value the activity.