1
|
Li W, Wang F, Mayer RE. Increasing the realism of on-screen embodied instructors creates more looking but less learning. BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY 2024; 94:759-776. [PMID: 38458817 DOI: 10.1111/bjep.12677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although adding embodied instructors on the screen is considered an effective way to improve online multimedia learning, its effectiveness is still controversial. The level of realism of embodied on-screen instructors may be an influencing factor, but it is unclear how it affects multimedia learning. AIMS We explored whether and how embodied on-screen instructors rendered with different levels of realism in multimedia lessons affect learning process and learning outcomes. SAMPLES We recruited 125 college students as participants. METHODS Students learned about neural transmission in an online multimedia lesson that included a real human, cartoon human, cartoon animal or no instructor. RESULTS Students learning with cartoon human or cartoon animal instructors tended to fixate more on the relevant portions of the screen and performed better on retention and transfer tests than no instructor group. The real human group fixated more on the instructor, fixated less on the relevant portion of the screen and performed worse on a retention test in comparison to the cartoon human group. Fixation time on the instructor fully mediated the relationship between instructor realism and retention score. CONCLUSIONS The addition of embodied on-screen instructors can promote multimedia learning, but the promotion effect would be better if the embodied instructor was a cartoon animal or cartoon human rather than a real human. This suggests an important boundary condition in which less realism of on-screen embodied instructors produces better learning processes and outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenjing Li
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
| | - Fuxing Wang
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuha, China
| | - Richard E Mayer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ben Chikha H, Zoudji B, Khacharem A. Using pointing gestures to convey tactical information: investigating the roles of expertise and complexity. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2023; 87:2238-2248. [PMID: 36810717 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-023-01806-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Coach's speech and pointing gestures are closely related. However, the question of whether the coach's pointing gestures influence the learning of complex game systems is still unclear. The present study examined the moderating roles of content complexity and expertise level on recall performance, visual attention, and mental effort through the coach's pointing gestures. One hundred and ninety-two novice and expert basketball players were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental conditions (simple content + no-gesture, simple content + with-gesture, more complex content + no-gesture, or more complex content + with-gesture). The results showed that regardless of the complexity of the content, novices showed significantly better recall performance, better visual search on the static diagrams and lower mental effort in the with-gesture condition than in the no-gesture condition. However, the results showed that experts benefited equally from both conditions (with-gesture and no-gestures) when the content was simple, whereas they benefited more from the condition with-gesture when the content was more complex. The findings and their implications for the design of learning materials are discussed in terms of cognitive load theory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Houssem Ben Chikha
- Univ. Polytechnique Hauts-de-France, LARSH - Laboratoire de Recherche Sociétés & Humanités, Mont Houy, F-59313, Valenciennes, France.
- INSA Hauts-de-France, LARSH, F-59313, Valenciennes, France.
| | - Bachir Zoudji
- Univ. Polytechnique Hauts-de-France, LARSH - Laboratoire de Recherche Sociétés & Humanités, Mont Houy, F-59313, Valenciennes, France
- INSA Hauts-de-France, LARSH, F-59313, Valenciennes, France
| | - Aïmen Khacharem
- Univ. Polytechnique Hauts-de-France, LARSH - Laboratoire de Recherche Sociétés & Humanités, Mont Houy, F-59313, Valenciennes, France
- UFR SESS-STAPS, Paris-East Créteil University, LIRTES (EA 7313), Créteil, France
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Luchkina E, Waxman S. Talking About the Absent and the Abstract: Referential Communication in Language and Gesture. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2023:17456916231180589. [PMID: 37603076 PMCID: PMC10879458 DOI: 10.1177/17456916231180589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Human language permits us to call to mind objects, events, and ideas that we cannot witness directly, either because they are absent or because they have no physical form (e.g., people we have not met, concepts like justice). What enables language to transmit such knowledge? We propose that a referential link between words, referents, and mental representations of those referents is key. This link enables us to form, access, and modify mental representations even when the referents themselves are absent ("absent reference"). In this review we consider the developmental and evolutionary origins of absent reference, integrating previously disparate literatures on absent reference in language and gesture in very young humans and gesture in nonhuman primates. We first evaluate when and how infants acquire absent reference during the process of language acquisition. With this as a foundation, we consider the evidence for absent reference in gesture in infants and in nonhuman primates. Finally, having woven these literatures together, we highlight new lines of research that promise to sharpen our understanding of the development of reference and its role in learning about the absent and the abstract.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elena Luchkina
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States of America
- Institute of Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States of America
| | - Sandra Waxman
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States of America
- Institute of Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Han J, Liu G, Zheng Q. Prior knowledge as a moderator between signaling and learning performance in immersive virtual reality laboratories. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1118174. [PMID: 36895747 PMCID: PMC9990412 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1118174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of signaling and prior knowledge on the cognitive loads, motivations, and learning of college students in an immersive virtual reality (IVR) environment. This study applied a 2 (signaling vs. no signaling) by 2 (high vs. low prior knowledge levels) between-subjects factorial design. The results revealed that signaling directed the attention of students with low prior knowledge levels, effectively helped them select relevant information and reduced their cognitive loads, whereas signaling had no significant effect on the cognitive loads, intrinsic motivation, and learning performance of learners with high levels of prior knowledge. These results suggest that IVR environments for students with low prior knowledge levels should reduce cognitive load and improve learning, and signals in the form of text annotations and color changes are recommended for additional support. Students with high prior knowledge levels do not require additional signals to support learning; therefore, the IVR environment needs to be designed in such a way as to be tailored to the individual differences of students.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jining Han
- Faculty of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Geping Liu
- Faculty of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Skulmowski A, Rey GD. Embodied learning: introducing a taxonomy based on bodily engagement and task integration. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2018; 3:6. [PMID: 29541685 PMCID: PMC5840215 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-018-0092-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on learning and education is increasingly influenced by theories of embodied cognition. Several embodiment-based interventions have been empirically investigated, including gesturing, interactive digital media, and bodily activity in general. This review aims to present the most important theoretical foundations of embodied cognition and their application to educational research. Furthermore, we critically review recent research concerning the effectiveness of embodiment interventions and develop a taxonomy to more properly characterize research on embodied cognition. The main dimensions of this taxonomy are bodily engagement (i.e. how much bodily activity is involved) and task integration (i.e. whether bodily activities are related to a learning task in a meaningful way or not). By locating studies on the 2 × 2 grid resulting from this taxonomy and assessing the corresponding learning outcomes, we identify opportunities, problems, and challenges of research on embodied learning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Skulmowski
- Psychology of Learning with Digital Media, Chemnitz University of Technology, Straße der Nationen 12, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Günter Daniel Rey
- Psychology of Learning with Digital Media, Chemnitz University of Technology, Straße der Nationen 12, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Xie H, Wang F, Hao Y, Chen J, An J, Wang Y, Liu H. The more total cognitive load is reduced by cues, the better retention and transfer of multimedia learning: A meta-analysis and two meta-regression analyses. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0183884. [PMID: 28854205 PMCID: PMC5576760 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2016] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cueing facilitates retention and transfer of multimedia learning. From the perspective of cognitive load theory (CLT), cueing has a positive effect on learning outcomes because of the reduction in total cognitive load and avoidance of cognitive overload. However, this has not been systematically evaluated. Moreover, what remains ambiguous is the direct relationship between the cue-related cognitive load and learning outcomes. A meta-analysis and two subsequent meta-regression analyses were conducted to explore these issues. Subjective total cognitive load (SCL) and scores on a retention test and transfer test were selected as dependent variables. Through a systematic literature search, 32 eligible articles encompassing 3,597 participants were included in the SCL-related meta-analysis. Among them, 25 articles containing 2,910 participants were included in the retention-related meta-analysis and the following retention-related meta-regression, while there were 29 articles containing 3,204 participants included in the transfer-related meta-analysis and the transfer-related meta-regression. The meta-analysis revealed a statistically significant cueing effect on subjective ratings of cognitive load (d = −0.11, 95% CI = [−0.19, −0.02], p < 0.05), retention performance (d = 0.27, 95% CI = [0.08, 0.46], p < 0.01), and transfer performance (d = 0.34, 95% CI = [0.12, 0.56], p < 0.01). The subsequent meta-regression analyses showed that dSCL for cueing significantly predicted dretention for cueing (β = −0.70, 95% CI = [−1.02, −0.38], p < 0.001), as well as dtransfer for cueing (β = −0.60, 95% CI = [−0.92, −0.28], p < 0.001). Thus in line with CLT, adding cues in multimedia materials can indeed reduce SCL and promote learning outcomes, and the more SCL is reduced by cues, the better retention and transfer of multimedia learning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Heping Xie
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Fuxing Wang
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
- * E-mail:
| | - Yanbin Hao
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiaxue Chen
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jing An
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuxin Wang
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Huashan Liu
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
van Marlen T, van Wermeskerken M, Jarodzka H, van Gog T. Showing a model's eye movements in examples does not improve learning of problem-solving tasks. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2016.08.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
|