In the wake of the information explosion and rapidly progressing technology [Mayer, R. E. (2001). "Multimedia learning". Cambridge: University Press] formulated a theory that focused on human cognition, rather than technology capacity and features. By measuring the effect of cognitive individual differences and display design manipulations on performance, the current research evaluates the impact of multimedia combinations on college student transfer test performance. Results indicated that multimedia combination accounted for variance in transfer test scores beyond the impact of relevant cognitive individual differences. Findings demonstrated that text positioning and motion distraction accounted for the inferiority of transfer test performance in certain multimedia conditions. Research yields support for the notion that display design can split attention, increase cognitive load, and reduce transfer learning. Key design principles must be evaluated further before prescriptive guidelines for educational multimedia can be solidified. (Contains 13 tables and 3 figures.)