Decorative Animations Impair Recall and Are a Source of Extraneous Cognitive Load

Autor/inn/en	Pink, Annabel; Newton, Philip M.
Titel	Decorative Animations Impair Recall and Are a Source of Extraneous Cognitive Load
Quelle	In: Advances in Physiology Education, 44 (2020) 3, S.376-382 (7 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Newton, Philip M.)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1043-4046
Schlagwörter	Animation; Recall (Psychology); Cognitive Processes; Difficulty Level; Short Term Memory; Instructional Materials; Performance Factors; STEM Education; College Freshmen; Foreign Countries; Visual Stimuli; Visual Aids; United Kingdom (Wales) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Abberufung; Cognitive process; Kognitiver Prozess; Schwierigkeitsgrad; Kurzzeitgedächtnis; Lehrmaterial; Lehrmittel; Unterrichtsmedien; Leistungsindikator; STEM; Studienanfänger; Ausland; Anschauungsmaterial
Abstract	Working memory is critical for learning but has a limited capacity for processing new information in real time. Cognitive load theory is an evidence-based approach to education that seeks to minimize the extraneous (unnecessary) load on working memory to avoid overloading it. The "seductive details effect" postulates that extraneous load can come from instructional design materials that attract interest but are unrelated to, and impair, learning. Presentation packages, such as Microsoft PowerPoint, have built-in decorative animated "GIFs" that are designed to make presentations more visually appealing. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of such "decorative" animations on learning and working memory performance. We found that students were less able to recall content presented in the presence of a decorative but relevant animation compared with a still image. This effect was found with two different topics (human physiology and enzyme kinetics). Compared with still images, students also found it harder to remember animations themselves, and the self-reported mental workload required to remember them was higher. These results show that decorative animations are seductive details and are thus a source of extraneous cognitive load. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	American Physiological Society. 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814-3991. Tel: 301-634-7164; Fax: 301-634-7241; e-mail: webmaster@the-aps.org; Web site: https://www.physiology.org/journal/advances
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2022/1/01