This thesis aims to contribute to our understanding of the way people transition from unconscious to conscious knowledge during learning. Drawing on the unexpected events hypothesis (UEH) and the affective signaling hypothesis (ASH), this research explored the role of affective responses as a potential mechanism that triggers the acquisition of explicit knowledge in a Serial Reaction Time Task (SRTT). The hypothesis was that performance events in a SRTT would lead to a measurable decrease in affective state. Contrary to the central hypothesis, the mixed linear model revealed no statistically significant relationship between affective responses and the proximity to an irregular sequence. However, distance to irregular sequence is an indirect way of measuring unexpected task performance. To address this, exploratory Spearman correlation analyses were conducted using more direct indicators of unexpected task performance. These included absolute distance to median reaction time and the number of trials since the last error or omission. The results are in line with those of the initial analysis. There was neither a significant relationship between atypical reaction times and affective state nor was there a significant relationship between the number of trials since the last error or omission and a participant’s affective state. So the results did not support the hypothesis. The results imply that affective responses may not be necessary for the transition from implicit to explicit knowledge. This has practical implications for learning environments where fostering awareness may be better achieved through cognitive strategies rather than relying on error-induced affective cues.