Emotional Activation in Simulation: Measuring the Influence of Participant Roles and Scenario Design.

Introduction: The degree of emotional activation required for optimal learning in either hands-on or observer roles is unclear, as is the level of stress that impedes learning. Measuring emotional activation is time-consuming, and many scales measure threat or anxiety without considering pleasurable activation. This study examined emotional activation in the observer and hands-on roles in 2 different scenario designs.