Butcher, K. (2006). Learning from text with diagrams: promoting mental model development and inference generation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(1), 182-197.

Butcher, K.

2006

Butcher, K. (2006). Learning from text with diagrams: promoting mental model development and inference generation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(1), 182-197.

2

Two experiments investigated learning outcomes and comprehension processes when students learned about the heart and circulatory system using (a) text only, (b) text with simplified diagrams designed to highlight important structural relations, or (c) text with more detailed diagrams reflecting a more accurate representation. Experiment 1 found that both types of diagrams supported mental model development, but simplified diagrams best supported factual learning. Experiment 2 replicated learning effects from Experiment 1 and tested the influence of diagrams on novices’ comprehension processes. Protocol analyses indicated that both types of diagrams supported inference generation and reduced comprehension errors, but simplified diagrams most strongly supported information integration during learning. Visual representations appear to be most effective when they are designed to support the cognitive processes necessary for deep comprehension.

The self-explaining data from Experiment 2 offer a striking conclusion: The influence of diagrams on comprehension processes was specific to inference generation. Diagrams increased the frequency with which learners generated inferences but did not influence production of other statements. Further, the current results demonstrated that diagrams supported learners in generating correct inferences. omprehension research has shown that adequate domain knowledge is important to learning in large part because it facilitates generation of correct inferences.

25

1