ERIC Number: ED335006
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1991
Pages: 10
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Effects of Visual Grouping on Learning from Computer Animated Presentations.
Rieber, Lloyd P.
The effects of visual grouping strategies involving animated and static graphic presentations on learning were studied. Also studied was the ability of students to learn a scientific rule presented incidentally in an animated sequence in the hope of replicating results from previous research. A total of 39 fourth graders participated in an introductory lesson on Newton's laws of motion. Two levels of Visual Presentation (Static Graphic, Animated Graphic) were crossed with two levels of Visual Grouping (Grouped, Ungrouped). A within-subjects factor consisted of two levels of Learning Intent (Intentional, Incidental). Results showed that students given animated presentations of lesson content outperformed students receiving static presentations, but only when the animated lesson frames were presented in groups, or "chunks," of textual and visual sequences. These results demonstrate how students' selective attention toward information contained in animated visuals can be undermined when the presentation insufficiently cues their focus of attention to the animated sequence. These results also illustrate at least one possible strategy which can be used to improve the ability of students to attend to and learn from animated visuals. Results also showed that students were successfully able to extract information pertaining to an application of Newton's second law incidentally presented in animated sequences. These results successfully replicate earlier findings indicating that elementary school students can learn and apply incidental information from an animated display without necessarily sacrificing intentional learning. (21 references) (Author/BBM)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A