Learning With Animations and Static Pictures: The Influence of Prompting and Time of Testing

• In Event: 34.080 - Poster Session 7
  In Poster Session: 34.080-2 - Principles of Cognition and Multimedia Design

Abstract

Animations can possess an informational advantage compared to static pictures. In the current study, it was investigated whether this informational disadvantage of static pictures can be compensated by prompting learners to actively engage with the instructional material, and whether this engagement would lead to a better lasting knowledge representation. To test this, a 2x2x2-Between-Subject-Design with visualization format (static picture vs. animation), prompts (absent vs. present) and time of testing (immediate vs. after one week) as independent variables was used (N = 261). Results revealed that participants performed better in the knowledge test when learning with animations. Others than expected, providing prompts did not compensate the performance of learners receiving static pictures, irrespective of time of testing.

Authors

• Tim Kühl, University of Mannheim

• Sabrina Dominique Navratil, University of Mannheim

• Stefan Munzer, University of Mannheim