Tarun Tiwari
Class of 2027
About
Projects
- "How do high school students complete various tasks in different emotional states? " with mentor Sarah (Working project)
Project Portfolio
How do high school students complete various tasks in different emotional states?
Started Apr. 22, 2026
Abstract or project description
This project examines how experimentally induced emotional states influence high school students’ performance on cognitive tasks under time pressure. Students are randomly assigned to either a constructive or discouraging pre-task experience designed to promote feelings of success or failure, potentially affecting mindset, confidence, and emotional state. Measures of depression, anxiety, self-efficacy, confidence, resilience, and emotional responses are collected to assess how students react to these experiences. Participants then complete timed cognitive tasks, allowing researchers to compare performance across emotional conditions. Findings may help identify educational environments and feedback approaches that promote learning, resilience, and student well-being while reducing the negative effects of discouragement and learned helplessness.