University of California, Santa Barbara
Students viewed a computer-generated animation depicting the process of lightning formation
(Experiment 1) or the operation of a car's braking system (Experiment 2). In each experiment,
students received either concurrent narration describing the major steps (Group AN) or
concurrent on-screen text involving the same words and presentation timing (Group AT).
Across both experiments, students in Group AN outperformed students in Group AT in
recalling the steps in the process on a retention test, in finding named elements in an
illustration on a matching test, and in generating correct solutions to problems on a transfer
test. Multimedia learners can integrate words and pictures more easily when the words are
presented auditorily rather than visually. This split-attention effect is consistent with a
dual-processing model of working memory consisting of separate visual and auditory
channels.
In multimedia learning, information is presented to learn
ers in two or more formats, such as in words and in pictures
( Mayer, 1997). For example, Figure 1 provides selected
frames from a short animation depicting a cause-and-effect
explanation of how lightning forms along with correspond
ing on-screen text which provides the explanation in words.
To design effective multimedia presentations, it is useful to
understand how learners mentally integrate words and
pictures. The purpose of this study is to contribute to
multimedia learning theory by testing a dual-processing
theory of working memory.
This can be done by comparing the learning outcomes of
students who view the lightning animation along with
corresponding on-screen text (Group AT) and those who
view the lightning animation along with concurrent auditory
narration using the same words as the text (Group AN). To
assess students' understanding of the material, we asked
them to write explanations of how lightning forms (retention
test), to give names for parts of an illustration (matching
test), and to apply what they learned to solve new problems
(transfer test). Example items are presented in Table 1.
Dual-Processing Theory of Working Memory
Our research was designed to test a straightforward
prediction of a dual-processing theory of working memory,
as summarized in Figure 2. The primary assumptions of
dual-processing theory are as follows: (a) Working memory
includes an auditory working memory and a visual working
memory, which are analogous to the phonological loop and
visuospatial sketch pad, respectively, in Baddeley's (1986,
1992) theory of working memory; (b) each working memory
store has a limited capacity, consistent with Sweller's (1988,
1989; Chandler & Sweller, 1992; Sweller, Chandler, Tier
ney, & Cooper, 1990) cognitive load theory; (c) meaningful
learning occurs when a learner retains relevant information
in each store, organizes the information in each store into a
coherent representation, and makes connections between
corresponding representations in each store, analogous to
the cognitive processes of selecting, organizing, and integrat
ing in Mayer's (1997; Mayer, Steinhoff, Bower, & Mars,
1995) generative theory of multimedia learning; and (d)
connections can be made only if corresponding pictorial and
verbal information is in working memory at the same time,
corresponding to referential connections in Paivio's (1986;
Clark & Paivio, 1991) dual-coding theory.
According to the dual-processing theory, visually pre
sented information is processed -- at least initially -- in visual
working memory whereas auditorily presented information
is processed - at least initially -- in auditory working memory.
For example, in reading text, the words may initially be
represented in visual working memory and then be trans
lated into sounds in auditory working memory. In the AN
treatment, students represent the animation in visual work
ing memory (such as the image of negative signs moving to
the bottom of a cloud) and represent the corresponding
narration in auditory working memory (such as the state
ment "negative ions fall to the bottom of the cloud").
Because they can hold corresponding pictorial and verbal
representations in working memory at the same time,
students in Group AN are better able to build referential
connections between them, such as seeing that the image of
negative signs moving to the bottom of the clouds corre
sponds to the words describing the fall of negative ions.
In the AT treatment, students try to represent both the
animation and the on-screen text in visual working memory.
Although some of the visually represented text eventually
Roxana Moreno created the multimedia materials used in
Experiment 1; Matt Mendrala created the multimedia materials
used in Experiment 2.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to
Richard E. Mayer or Roxana Moreno, Department of Psychology,
University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106. Elec
tronic mail may be sent to mayer@psych.ucsb.edu or to
moreno@psych.ucsb.edu.
Posted by
, Published at
8:04 PM
and have
0
comments
Tidak ada komentar :
Posting Komentar