Effects of Seductive Details on Multimedia Learning

Wang, Zhe; Adesope, Olusola

doi:10.5296/jse.v4i3.6024

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 31 publications

(32 reference statements)

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“…Nevertheless, instead of including seductive details, instructors and teachers should rely on other methods to improve students' motivation and persistence, such as scheduling regular breaks or setting clear goals. Together with the finding that seductive details are harmful for learning in a variety of domains, for example physics (Harp & Mayer, 1998), biology (Park et al, 2015), maths (Magner et al, 2014), social and economic studies (Wang & Adesope, 2014), and geology (Jaeger et al, 2018), our results lead us to assume that the seductive details effect exists in (most) typical study situations in school or at university. It is very important to inform teachers about these effects and the mechanisms behind it, because only then can teachers adequately deal with seductive details, for instance by omitting them, or emphasizing their true role.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Seductive details do their damage also in longer learning sessions – When the details are perceived as relevant

Bender

Renkl

Eitel

2021

Computer Assisted Learning

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Background Past research has shown that seductive details (i.e., interesting, but irrelevant adjuncts in learning materials) hamper learning in short, instructor‐paced learning sessions through impaired cognitive processing. Objectives We integrate theory and research on multimedia learning and self‐control to test whether detrimental effects of seductive details also apply to longer and strenuous learning sessions (e.g., online lectures), in which there is greater need for self‐control. Methods A total of N = 194 students studied five chapters in a digital learning unit about chemistry either (1) without seductive details, or (2) with seductive details but without being informed about their irrelevance for the learning goal, or (3) with seductive details while being informed about their irrelevance. To assess learning outcomes, all students completed the same posttests for recall and transfer of knowledge. Results and conclusions For students who were uninformed about the details' irrelevance, the seductive details impeded learning outcomes not just overall, but also in the final phase of prolonged studying (i.e., when the willingness to self‐control is reduced). The latter effect was mediated through a reduced positive affect. Implications The seductive details effect seems to generalize to prolonged learning sessions, where students may start to dislike the seductive details.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Seductive details do their damage also in longer learning sessions – When the details are perceived as relevant

Bender

Renkl

Eitel

2021

Computer Assisted Learning

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“…Particularly, there is empirical evidence suggesting that individuals with low working memory may be negatively affected by seductive details to a greater extent than those with normal or high working memory (Sanchez & Wiley, 2006). This effect has been documented in Chinese populations as well (Wang & Adesope, 2014).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 96%

Moderating the seductive details effect in multimedia learning with note‐taking

Wang¹,

Sundararajan²,

Adesope³

et al. 2016

Brit J Educational Tech

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Although the seductive details effect, a phenomenon where interesting but irrelevant pictures impede comprehension, is well documented, studies examining ways of moderating its detrimental impact on learning remain few. The present study examined the effect of note‐taking on the seductive details effect. Chinese undergraduate participants (N = 91) were randomly assigned to three conditions that differed in terms of the presence of seductive details and learning strategy (presence or absence of note‐taking for the seductive details group). Mediation analyses results showed that seductive details undermined participants' performance on recall and transfer tasks as a result of increased cognitive load. Results from variance analyses indicated that participants in the seductive details and note‐taking condition outperformed those in the comparison group and that this effect differed depending on participants' prior knowledge and outcome measures (recall or transfer). Overall, our results suggest that note‐taking is an effective cognitive strategy that can help learners overcome the seductive details effect. Implications for theory, practice, and future research are discussed.

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“…Students thus seem to benefit when (relevant) visual elements are used in test-items (i.e., multimediaeffect) in the right way. Maybe because it increases comprehension by compensating for low reading ability (Wallen et al, 2005) and/or it enhances student interest and attention for the item (Wang & Adesope, 2014). Future research should more closely look into the effects of visualizations on item validity, difficulty, and processing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing computer-based tests: design guidelines from multimedia learning studied with eye tracking

Dirkx

Skuballa

Manastirean-Zijlstra³

et al. 2021

Instr Sci

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The use of computer-based tests (CBTs), for both formative and summative purposes, has greatly increased over the past years. One major advantage of CBTs is the easy integration of multimedia. It is unclear, though, how to design such CBT environments with multimedia. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether guidelines for designing multimedia instruction based on the Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) and Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) will yield similar effects in CBT. In a within-subject design, thirty-three vocational students completed a computer-based arithmetic exam, in which half of the items were presented in an original design format, and the other half was redesigned based on the CTML principles for instructional design (i.e., adapted format). Results showed that applying CTML principles to a CBT decreased the difficulty of the test items, i.e., students scored significantly higher on the adapted test items. Moreover, eye-tracking data showed that the adapted items required less visual search and increased attention for the question and answer. Finally, cognitive load, measured as silent pauses during a secondary think-aloud task, decreased. Mean fixation duration (a different indicator of cognitive load), however, did not significantly differ between adapted and original items. These results indicate that applying multimedia principles to CBTs can be beneficial. It seems to prevent cognitive overload and helps students to focus on important parts of the test items (e.g., the question), leading to better test results.

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Effects of Seductive Details on Multimedia Learning

Cited by 7 publications

References 31 publications

Seductive details do their damage also in longer learning sessions – When the details are perceived as relevant

Seductive details do their damage also in longer learning sessions – When the details are perceived as relevant

Moderating the seductive details effect in multimedia learning with note‐taking

Designing computer-based tests: design guidelines from multimedia learning studied with eye tracking

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