The DOI matches its Crossref record.
The more human, the higher the performance? Examining the effects of anthropomorphism on learning with media.
Abstract
The inclusion of human-like shapes like arms or faces in rather abstract pictures triggers the tendency of anthropomorphism, which is defined as the attribution of human characteristics to nonhuman objects. Anthropomorphism-triggering features in digital learning materials were found to enhance the performance of students. However, the probability of how effective such anthropomorphic features are might be dependent on the degree of the elicited anthropomorphism. In this study, 3 experiments were conducted to examine if varying degrees of anthropomorphism (low vs. medium vs. high) differently affect the learning performance of students. Participants were taken from different class levels; ranging from Class 5 and 6 (Experiment 1) to Class 8 and 9 (Experiment 2), and Class 11 to 13 (Experiment 3). The instructional material covered the topic of blood cell types. Subjective measurements of cognitive load, aesthetics, intrinsic motivation, and valence were included. Results show that an increased degree of anthropomorphism led to significant differences in the learning, intrinsic motivation, and aesthetics scores. The learning results of the 3 experiments were additionally checked by a meta-analysis. On a descriptive level, only students in Class 8 and 9 profited the most from a high degree of anthropomorphism. While students in Class 5 and 6 suffered from a high cognitive load in the high anthropomorphism condition, students in Class 11 to 13 were not as strongly affected by anthropomorphism as the other students. Results are partly explained by differences in prior knowledge. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Learning in educational contexts is enhanced by anthropomorphic features such as face-like appearance.
“learning in educational contexts is enhanced by anthropomorphic features such as face-like appearance8”
From The influence of mental state attributions on trust in large language models (2025) · cites this paper as [8]
Citations
Cites
Still being checked.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Blut, M., Wang, C., Wünderlich, N. V., & Brock, C. (2021) · Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science · doi:10.1007/s11747-020-00762-y · Cited by 1,194
The Cognitive-Affective-Social Theory of Learning in digital Environments (CASTLE)
Schneider, S., Beege, M., Nebel, S., Schnaubert, L., & Rey, G. D. (2021) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-021-09626-5 · Cited by 388
Self-citationCognitive load in multimedia learning environments: A systematic review
Bayraktar, D. M., Çoşğun, V., & Altan, T. (2019) · Computers & Education · doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103618 · Cited by 364
Meta-Analysis of Emotional Designs in Multimedia Learning: A Replication and Extension Study
Wong, R. M., & Adesope, O. (2020) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-020-09545-x · Cited by 164
Brom, C., Stárková, T., & D'Mello, S. K. (2018) · Educational Research Review · doi:10.1016/j.edurev.2018.09.004 · Cited by 163
Krieglstein, F., Beege, M., Rey, G. D., Ginns, P., Krell, M., & Schneider, S. (2022) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-022-09683-4 · Cited by 162
Self-citationThe effects of affective pedagogical agent in multimedia learning environments: A meta-analysis
Wang, Y., Gong, S., Cao, Y., Lang, Y., & Xu, X. (2022) · Educational Research Review · doi:10.1016/j.edurev.2022.100506 · Cited by 85
Velasco, F., Yang, Z., & Janakiraman, N. (2020) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.11.015 · Cited by 80
The instructor presence effect and its moderators in instructional video: A series of meta-analyses
Beege, M., Schroeder, N. L., Heidig, S., Rey, G. D., & Schneider, S. (2023) · Educational Research Review · doi:10.1016/j.edurev.2023.100564 · Cited by 69
Self-citationUnderstanding human-AI trust in education
Pitts, G., & Motamedi, S. (2025) · Telematics and Informatics Reports · doi:10.1016/j.teler.2025.100270 · Cited by 58
Liew, T. W., Pang, W. M., Leow, M. C., & Tan, S.-M. (2022) · Smart Learning Environments · doi:10.1186/s40561-022-00187-w · Cited by 51
Aesthetic design of app interfaces and their impact on secondary students’ interest and learning
Ruf, A., Zahn, C., Agotai, D., Iten, G. H., & Opwis, K. (2022) · Computers and Education Open · doi:10.1016/j.caeo.2022.100075 · Cited by 48
Children like it more but don’t learn more: Effects of esthetic visual design in educational games
Javora, O., Hannemann, T., Stárková, T., Volná, K., & Brom, C. (2018) · British Journal of Educational Technology · doi:10.1111/bjet.12701 · Cited by 47
The Effects of Emotional Design on Multimedia Learning and Appreciation of Chinese Poetry
Wang, Y., Zhou, Z., Gong, S., Jia, D., & Lei, J. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.621969 · Cited by 45
Man vs. machine: Human responses to an AI newscaster and the role of social presence
Kim, J., Xu, K., & Merrill, K. (2022) · The Social Science Journal · doi:10.1080/03623319.2022.2027163 · Cited by 43
Zhang, S., Zhao, X., Nan, D., & Kim, J. H. (2024) · International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education · doi:10.1186/s41239-024-00465-2 · Cited by 42
The influence of mental state attributions on trust in large language models
Colombatto, C., Birch, J., & Fleming, S. M. (2025) · Communications Psychology · doi:10.1038/s44271-025-00262-1 · Cited by 34
“For example, learning in educational contexts is enhanced by anthropomorphic features such as face-like appearance 8 , and ratings of human-likeness in AI are correlated with more positive impressions of the systems and overall social health 9 .”
Wei, W., Zhao, A., & Ma, H. (2025) · IEEE Access · doi:10.1109/access.2025.3554545 · Cited by 32
Bai, X., & Yang, L. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1589318 · Cited by 28
The Double-Edged Sword of Anthropomorphism in LLMs
Reinecke, M. G., Ting, F., Savulescu, J., & Singh, I. (2025) · Proceedings · doi:10.3390/proceedings2025114004 · Cited by 27
Judgments of learning reflect the Animacy advantage for memory, but not beliefs about the effect
DeYoung, C. M., & Serra, M. J. (2021) · Metacognition and Learning · doi:10.1007/s11409-021-09264-w · Cited by 27
Chen, C., Jamiat, N., Rabu, S. N. A., & Du, S. (2025) · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1080/10447318.2024.2443534 · Cited by 21
Endres, T., Bender, L., Sepp, S., Zhang, S., David, L., Trypke, M., Lieck, D., Désiron, J. C., Bohm, J., Weißgerber, S. C., et al. (2025) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-024-09978-8 · Cited by 19
Schubertová, K., Lukavský, J., Drobná, A., Volná, K., & Brom, C. (2023) · Learning and Instruction · doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2023.101803 · Cited by 18
Bravo, M. G. E., Cabezas, R. F. C., Pérez-Cepeda, M., Carvache-Franco, O., & Carvache‐Franco, W. (2025) · Cogent Education · doi:10.1080/2331186x.2025.2560618 · Cited by 16
Gao, F., Fang, K., & Chan, W. K. (2024) · Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play · doi:10.1145/3665463.3678792 · Cited by 16
Liu, K., & Pengbo, S. (2024) · Smart Learning Environments · doi:10.1186/s40561-024-00332-7 · Cited by 14
The influence of affective decorative pictures on learning statistics online
Mikheeva, M., Schneider, S., Beege, M., & Rey, G. D. (2021) · Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies · doi:10.1002/hbe2.250 · Cited by 13
Self-citationEmotional design pictures: Pleasant but too weak to evoke arousal and attract attention?
Lenski, S., & Großschedl, J. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.966287 · Cited by 12
Anime as a medium for science learning
Mahler, L. S., & Mayer, R. E. (2023) · Journal of Computer Assisted Learning · doi:10.1111/jcal.12908 · Cited by 12
Day, J., Devers, C. J., Wu, E., Devers, E. E., & Gomez, E. N. (2022) · Journal of the American College of Radiology · doi:10.1016/j.jacr.2022.03.009 · Cited by 12
Su, P., & Liu, K. (2024) · Displays · doi:10.1016/j.displa.2024.102664 · Cited by 11
Jung, S., Ahn, S. H., Ha, J., & Bahn, S. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph191710988 · Cited by 11
Storifying instructional videos on online credibility evaluation: Examining engagement and learning
Anttonen, R., Kiili, K. J. M., Räikkönen, E., & Kiili, C. (2024) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2024.108385 · Cited by 10
Zhao, H., Song, Z., & Cai, Z. (2025) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115805 · Cited by 10
Telling tales: the use of narratives in informal STEM settings
Shaby, N., Dillon, J. S., Peleg, R., Assaraf, O. B., Pattison, S. A., Pierroux, P., Barzilay, M., Grenon, M., Steier, R., Svarovsky, G., et al. (2025) · Research in Science & Technological Education · doi:10.1080/02635143.2025.2469065 · Cited by 10
Kumar, J. A. (2024) · Computers & Education · doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2024.105150 · Cited by 9
Aesthetics, Interaction and Machine Improvisation
Frisk, H. (2020) · Organised Sound · doi:10.1017/s135577181900044x · Cited by 9
Aksaray, S. G., & Özçelik, E. (2022) · Educational Psychology · doi:10.1080/01443410.2022.2154317 · Cited by 8
Xia, L., Zhang, L., Shen, K., & Dong, Y. (2026) · Teaching in Higher Education · doi:10.1080/13562517.2026.2649818 · Cited by 6
Emotional Design in Concept Maps – No Support but Also No Burden
Lenski, S., & Großschedl, J. (2022) · Frontiers in Education · doi:10.3389/feduc.2022.807627 · Cited by 6
Emotional Design for Educational Multimedia: A Mini-Review
Pang, W. M., Liew, T. W., & Leow, M. C. (2021) · Conference on Human System Interactions · doi:10.1109/hsi52170.2021.9538667 · Cited by 6
Beyond Appearance: Agent anthropomorphism, alignment, and integration in video learning
Zhang, Y., Xu, K. D., He, J., Xing, Y., Yang, J., & Pi, Z. (2025) · Computers & Education · doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105438 · Cited by 5
Nebel, S., Beege, M., Schneider, S., & Rey, G. D. (2024) · Learning and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.lindif.2024.102425 · Cited by 5
Self-citationBeeLife: a mobile application to foster environmental awareness in classroom settings
Stock, A., Stock, O., Mönch, J., Suren, M., Koch, N. N., Rey, G. D., & Wirzberger, M. (2024) · Frontiers in Computer Science · doi:10.3389/fcomp.2023.1298888 · Cited by 3
Self-citationPsychologische Befunde zum Lernen mit digitalen Medien – ein Überblick
Schneider, S., Beege, M., Nebel, S., & Rey, G. D. (2022) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-658-36113-6_28 · Cited by 2
Self-citationMapping the Heterogeneity of Emotional Design Features in Multimedia Research: A Systematic Review
Désiron, J. C., Venni, J., & Bétrancourt, M. (2026) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-026-10138-3 · Cited by 1
Liu, B., Wang, J., Yue, Z., Ma, J., & Zhang, J. (2026) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs16050716 · Cited by 1
Pak, D. M., Désiron, J. C., & Schneider, S. (2026) · Computers & Education · doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2026.105671 · Cited by 1
Self-citationDigital humans in education: a systematic review
Zhao, S., Wei, Y., Zhao, X., & Aslam, S. (2026) · Cogent Education · doi:10.1080/2331186x.2026.2699472 · Cited by 1
The Impact of Emotional Pedagogical Agents on Multimedia Learning: A Meta-Analysis
宋, 迎. (2025) · Advances in Psychology · doi:10.12677/ap.2025.155272
Effect of Visual Presentation on User Experience for Smartphone AI Assistant
Duan, H., Zhang, M., & Liu, N. (2025) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-93730-9_21
Gamification and Learners’ Cognitive Engagement
Amarille, D. L., & Mongas, C. J. S. (2026) · INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS · doi:10.47191/ijmra/v9-i5-46
The Role of Trust in the Educational Integration of Social Robots and Artificial Intelligence
Cirasa, C., Høgsdal, H., & Conti, D. (2026) · Advances in computational intelligence and robotics book series · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-6471-1.ch015
Zhao, W., Xiao-fang, M., & Guan, J. (2026) · Education and Information Technologies · doi:10.1007/s10639-025-13319-9
Metadata
- Authors
- Schneider, S., Häßler, A., Habermeyer, T., Beege, M., & Rey, G. D.
- Affiliations
- Chemnitz University of Technology (DE)
- Venue
- Journal of Educational Psychology
- Published
- 2019-01
- Volume
- 111
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 57-72
- ISSN
- 0022-0663 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-2176
- OpenAlex
- W2794552013
- Cited by
- 54
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 3.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Educational Psychology (publishedVersion)
- OPUS (Augsburg University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Visual and Cognitive Learning Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Social Robot Interaction and HRI
- Social Sciences › Communication › Media Influence and Health
- Keywords
- anthropomorphism, learning performance, intrinsic motivation, cognitive load, aesthetic appeal, valence, prior knowledge, grade level differences, blood cell types, digital learning resources
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
