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Attentional State, Not Trait, Predicts Learning from Educational Videos

Poster Session D - Monday, March 9, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Jens Madsen¹ (), Lucas Parra¹; ¹The City College of New York

Attention is essential for learning, yet it remains unclear whether poor academic outcomes stem from enduring attentional traits or from transient lapses in focus. Using electroencephalography (EEG), we examined how neural and trait-level measures of attention predict learning from short educational videos. Across four experiments, 152 participants completed assessments of inattention, hyperactivity, working memory capacity, and GPA, then viewed 3-6-minute educational videos while EEG recorded brain activity. Neural synchrony across viewers, measured by inter-subject correlation (ISC), served as an index of attentional state. Higher ISC predicted better quiz performance, whereas self-reported inattention did not. Working memory capacity and GPA were independent predictors of test scores and were positively associated with neural attention. These results indicate that acute attentional engagement, rather than trait-level inattention, determines learning success from short, structured videos. The findings highlight how EEG synchrony can capture meaningful fluctuations in attentional state and inform the design of engaging educational materials.

Topic Area: ATTENTION: Multisensory