Effects of Learner Prior Knowledge and Working Memory Limitations on Multimedia Learning

AbstractWe investigated in an experiment with 180 university students the joint role of prior knowledge, alleged model competence, and social comparison orientation regarding the effectiveness of Eye Movement Modeling Examples (EMME) for supporting multimedia learning. EMME consisted of short videos with gaze replays of an instructed model demonstrating effective multimedia processing strategies. Participants were either instructed that the model in the EMME-videos was a successful learner (competent model) or another participant (peer model). Participants in a control condition received no EMME. Furthermore, we activated domain-relevant prior knowledge in half of the participants before watching the EMME. Against our expectations, we found no influence of either prior knowledge activation or model-observer similarity. As expected, our results indicated that EMME fostered multimedia learning. This was also supported by findings from small-scale meta-analyses that were conducted with the focus on the effect of EMME for multimedia learning and potential moderators of the effect. Moreover, results showed first evidence that social comparison orientation interacts with (alleged) model competence regarding the effectiveness of EMME. Further research is needed to follow up on the influence of individual factors as well as social cues on the effectiveness of EMME.

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Mechanisms underlying comprehension of health information in adulthood: The roles of prior knowledge and working memory capacity

Journal of Health Psychology ◽

10.1177/1359105310392090 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 16 (5) ◽

pp. 794-806 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Lisa M. Soederberg Miller ◽

Tanja N. Gibson ◽

Elizabeth A. Applegate ◽

Jeannette de Dios

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Health Information ◽

Prior Knowledge ◽

Working Memory Capacity ◽

Memory Capacity

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Learning procedures: the role of working memory in multimedia learning experiences

Applied Cognitive Psychology ◽

10.1002/acp.1236 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 20 (7) ◽

pp. 917-940 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

Tad T. Brunyé ◽

Holly A. Taylor ◽

David N. Rapp ◽

Alexander B. Spiro

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Multimedia Learning ◽

Learning Experiences

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Expert radiologists have improved memory performance for images with focal abnormalities

10.31234/osf.io/b4zv3 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Hayden Schill ◽

Jeremy Wolfe ◽

Timothy F. Brady

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Prior Knowledge ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Memory Capacity ◽

Current Work ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

Attentional Processing ◽

Term Memory ◽

Focal Abnormality

Memory capacity depends on prior knowledge, both in working memory and in long-term memory. For example, radiologists have improved long-term memory for medical images compared to novices. Furthermore, people tend to remember abnormal or surprising items best. This is often claimed to arise primarily because such items attract additional attention at encoding. How do expertise and abnormality interact when experts are actively searching for abnormalities; e.g. radiologists looking at mammograms? In the current work, we investigate whether expert radiologists (N=32) show improved memory performance for abnormal images compared to novice participants (N=60). We consider two types of “abnormality.” A mammogram can have a focal abnormality that can be localized or it could simply be the mammogram of a woman known to have cancer (e.g. the image of the breast contralateral to the focal abnormality). Must an image have a focal abnormality for additional attentional processing to be engaged? We found that experts have better memory for mammograms than novice participants and enhanced memory for abnormal images relative to normal images. Overall, radiologists showed no memory benefit for the contralateral-abnormal images and did not discriminate them from normal images, but had enhanced memory for images with focal abnormalities. Our results suggest that focal abnormalities play an important role in enhancing memory of expert observers.

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The Individual Differences in Working Memory Capacity Principle in Multimedia Learning

The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning ◽

10.1017/cbo9781139547369.029 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 598-620 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Jennifer Wiley ◽

Christopher A. Sanchez ◽

Allison J. Jaeger

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Multimedia Learning ◽

Working Memory Capacity ◽

Memory Capacity ◽

The Individual

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Effect of Temporal Arrangement on Multimedia Learning

Inquiry@Queen's Undergraduate Research Conference Proceedings ◽

10.24908/iqurcp.8565 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Victoria Chen

Keyword(s):

Prior Knowledge ◽

Cognitive Processing ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Multimedia Learning ◽

Primary Source ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Multimedia Teaching ◽

Text Information ◽

Source Of Information

The purpose of this study is to examine whether Multimedia learning theory (Mayer, 1997; Schnotz & Kürschner, 2007) holds true when images are the primary source of information and text information is secondary. I will test how temporal arrangement of audio and image presentations affects quality of learning in this situation. I hypothesize that when audio is played before or after the image participants will require increased cognitive processing to mentally integrate the two sources of information resulting in deeper learning and transfer of learning. On the other hand when audio is played while the image is shown, I hypothesize that participants with high prior knowledge of the subject will score lower than participants with low prior knowledge, because prior knowledge will interfere with knowledge from the two sources causing a redundancy effect. This experiment will lead to greater understanding of multimedia teaching and learning in classrooms as well as how it affects deeper learning.

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