Molinari, G., & Tapiero, I. (2007). Integration of new domain-related states and events from texts and illustrations by subjects with high and low prior knowledge. Learning and Instruction, 17(3), 304-321.
Molinari, G.; Tapiero, I.
2007
Molinari, G., & Tapiero, I. (2007). Integration of new domain-related states and events from texts and illustrations by subjects with high and low prior knowledge. Learning and Instruction, 17(3), 304-321.
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The aim of this article is to investigate with high and low knowledge subjects in the scientific domain of the neuron, the way information should be presented and illustrated to promote the integration of new information. This fundamental process for learning was examined in two experiments using a primed recognition task. In the first study, the nature of domain-specific information depicted (states or events) was manipulated while in the second, the temporal position of illustrations (before or after textual information) was also considered. The main result showed that when presented before the text, illustrations allow easier retrieval from memory (a) when they represent 'states' for beginners, and (b) when they represent 'events' for experts. Within the theoretical framework of text and picture comprehension (Schnotz,W., & Bannert, M. (2003). Construction and interference in teaming from multiple representation. Learning and Instruction, 13, 141-156), our results offer a more precise definition of the conditions under which the addition of illustrations for a text is beneficial to the learning process
We showed that participants assigned to an illustrated version of the learning text build stronger relations between new information and what they previously acquired from the outline as compared with those assigned to a non-illustrated version. Participants who received the learning text without illustrations construct stronger interrelations among new information as compared with those who received the learning text with illustrations. ‘‘State’’ illustrations enabled readers to invest more learning time and therefore to perform more cognitive processing compared to ‘‘event’’ illustrations. Moreover, data from the primed recognition task indicated that recognition times were longer for participants who studied the learning text with ‘‘state’’ illustrations than for those who studied the text with ‘‘event’’ illustrations. We also found that the difference in reading times between the illustrated and non-illustrated versions of the learning text was higher for high prior-knowledge readers than for low prior-knowledge readers. Compared to high prior-knowledge readers, low prior-knowledge readers spent more time processing the learning text when it was accompanied by illustrations depicting states. Moreover, data from the primed recognition task indicated that for beginners, recognition times were faster after the reading of the illustrated- events version than after the reading of the illustrated-states version, whereas the reverse pattern occurred for experts.
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