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The term ‘modality effect’ in multimedia learning means that students learn better from pictures combined with spoken rather than written text. The most prominent explanations refer to the split attention between visual text reading and picture observation which could affect transfer of information into working memory, maintenance of information in working memory or the effective size of working memory. The assumption of a continuous need for split attention is questionable, however. Learners can keep pictorial information in working memory, when they have seen the picture before, especially if they have higher prior knowledge. Instead of suffering from a permanent split ...

The reported study investigated the influence of longer text presentation on the modality and the redundancy effect. In particular, the auditory-recency-effect explanation, which predicts that both effects should disappear when longer texts are presented, was tested against the text-processing explanation, which predicts that both effects should even reverse if text-processing strategies can be applied. In Experiment 1, a 2 × 2 between-subject design with animation presentation (yes vs. no) and text modality (written vs. spoken) was used (N = 81). In line with the auditory-recency-effect explanation text modality did not influence learning outcomes. Moreover, animations facilitated transfer performance due to reduced cognitive effort. In ...

The reported study investigated the influence of longer text presentation on the modality and the redundancy effect. In particular, the auditory-recency-effect explanation, which predicts that both effects should disappear when longer texts are presented, was tested against the text-processing explanation, which predicts that both effects should even reverse if text-processing strategies can be applied. In Experiment 1, a 2 × 2 between-subject design with animation presentation (yes vs. no) and text modality (written vs. spoken) was used (N = 81). In line with the auditory-recency-effect explanation text modality did not influence learning outcomes. Moreover, animations facilitated transfer performance due to reduced cognitive effort. In ...

The study examined whether the modality effect is caused by either high visuo-spatial load or a lack of temporal contiguity when processing written text and pictures. Students (N = 147) viewed pictures on the development of tornados, which were accompanied by either spoken or written explanations presented simultaneously with, before, or after the pictures. For verbal recall no modality effect was observed, whereas for transfer the influence of modality varied as a function of phonological working memory capacity. For pictorial recall the results showed a modality effect that was limited to simultaneous presentation, apparently in line with the temporal contiguity explanation. However, ...

This experiment investigated the effect of format (line vs. bar), viewers’ familiarity with variables, and viewers’ graphicacy (graphical literacy) skills on the comprehension of multivariate (three variable) data presented in graphs. Fifty-five undergraduates provided written descriptions of data for a set of 14 line or bar graphs, half of which depicted variables familiar to the population and half of which depicted variables unfamiliar to the population. Participants then took a test of graphicacy skills. As predicted, the format influenced viewers’ interpretations of data. Specifically, viewers were more likely to describe x–y interactions when viewing line graphs than when viewing bar graphs, and ...

One crucial component of reading comprehension is the ability to bind current information to earlier text, which is often accomplished via anaphoric expressions (e.g., pronouns referring to previous nouns). Processing time for anaphors that violate expectations (e.g., 'The firefighter burned herself while rescuing victims from the building') provide a window into how the semantic representation of the referent is instantiated and retained up to the anaphor. We present data from three eye-tracking experiments examining older and younger adults' reading patterns for passages containing such local expectancy violations. Younger adults quickly registered and resolved the expectancy violation at the point at ...

One crucial component of reading comprehension is the ability to bind current information to earlier text, which is often accomplished via anaphoric expressions (e.g., pronouns referring to previous nouns). Processing time for anaphors that violate expectations (e.g., 'The firefighter burned herself while rescuing victims from the building') provide a window into how the semantic representation of the referent is instantiated and retained up to the anaphor. We present data from three eye-tracking experiments examining older and younger adults' reading patterns for passages containing such local expectancy violations. Younger adults quickly registered and resolved the expectancy violation at the point at ...

One crucial component of reading comprehension is the ability to bind current information to earlier text, which is often accomplished via anaphoric expressions (e.g., pronouns referring to previous nouns). Processing time for anaphors that violate expectations (e.g., 'The firefighter burned herself while rescuing victims from the building') provide a window into how the semantic representation of the referent is instantiated and retained up to the anaphor. We present data from three eye-tracking experiments examining older and younger adults' reading patterns for passages containing such local expectancy violations. Younger adults quickly registered and resolved the expectancy violation at the point at ...

The main purpose of this study was to examine the effect of local and global cohesion on improving reading comprehension of students with low and high prior knowledge. The subjects of high prior knowledge consisted of 80 third-year high school students (61 females, 19 males), and the subjects of low prior knowledge consisted of 80 third-year high school students (70 females.10 males), who were randomly selected using multistage sampling method. Participants of high and low prior knowledge were randomly assigned into four groups consisting of low local and high global cohesion, high local and low global cohesion, and low local ...

It has long been assumed that graphic organizers (GOs) should be presented to students following text as an organizer, rather than preceding text as an overview. Robinson et al. (Educational Technology Research & Development, 51(4), 25–41, 2003) challenged this assumption by finding support for GOs as an overview. The present study further examined this issue by having 111 undergraduates view three GOs before (overview) or after (organizer) reading or listening to a narration of a 3,400-word text, followed by measures of retention and transfer. Students who received GOs as organizers transferred knowledge better than those who received GOs as overviews. ...