Disposition Drives Cognition: How Emotion and Experience Shape Thought, Action, and Identity
Disposition Drives Cognition: How Emotion and Experience Shape Thought, Action, and Identity
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Issue Date
2025-10-22
Authors
Ryan, Mark
Thorsos, Nilsa
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Abstract
The title of this book insists that disposition drives cognition. Your students learn what they care about. They remember what connects to their identity. They pursue what feels meaningful. And you, too, design, adapt, and persist in your teaching when it resonates with your sense of purpose. Motivation, curiosity, and trust are not peripheral—they are the engine. Pedagogy and andragogy both affirm this. In pedagogy, you see it when a child’s curiosity transforms a mundane lesson into an exploration. In andragogy, you feel it when professional learning is tied to your values rather than imposed from above. In both cases, emotion sets the stage for cognition. You can see this every day in your classroom. When you set up a lab that sparks curiosity, students lean in. When you allow them to connect a writing assignment to their lived experiences, they produce work with voice and conviction. When you frame math problems around authentic challenges, you notice persistence increase. These are not accidents. They are the direct result of you creating conditions where disposition—emotional stance, personal relevance, felt meaning—drives cognitive engagement.
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Keywords
brain , cognition , disposition , neuroscience , affective domain , cognitive domain , psychomotor domain