Abstracts - Earli

manipulated for all participants. Taken as a whole, the results of the three experiments indicatethat increasing participant’s domain knowledge prior to interacting with a complex website altersthe navigational strategies used and increases what is learned from this interaction. However, thereis also a minimum time threshold that a user must spend engaging with a website in order toreceive the benefits of the increase in prior domain knowledge.Web navigation and cognitive modelingHerre van Oostendorp, Utrecht University, NetherlandsIon Juvina, Carnegie Mellon University, USAResearch on cognitive modeling of web navigation emphasizes the importance of "informationscent" (the relevance of semantic cues such as link labels and headings to a reader’s goal) (Pirolli& Card, 1999). We have extended this idea with the concept of "path adequacy", indicating thegoal relevance of past selections. We propose a process model of web navigation based oninformation scent and path adequacy. We used this model to generate navigation support in theform of highlighting links that are goal-relevant. This presentation will discuss the effects of themodel-based support on perceived disorientation, navigation behavior and task performance, andgive suggestions for further research.Incidental learning of hypertext structure: the role of visuo-spatial capacityZsófia Vörös, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, HungaryJean-Francois Rouet, CNRS and University of Poitiers, FranceCsaba Pléh, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, HungaryTwo experiments investigated the role of spatial span (SS) in hypertext navigation and learning. Inexperiment 1, 30 adult participants with either high or low SS read a 15-page hypertext which didnot include any top-level content representation. After reading, the participants were asked to drawa map of the hypertext pages and links. High SS participants drew more accurate maps than lowSS participants. In experiment 2 we further investigated the role of visuospatial working memoryusing a dual-task paradigm. Fifty-seven adult participants with an average SS read the samehypertext as in experiment 1, while performing either a visuospatial secondary task, a verbalsecondary task, or no secondary task. The participants in the visuospatial condition performedpoorer on the incidental hypertext recognition and mapping task. While hypertext reading andcomprehension rests mostly on verbal processing, the en route construction of a mental map seemsto rely on visuospatial working memory.Beyond media comparison studies: The role of learner characteristics, information utilizationstrategies, and instructional approach in hypermedia learningPeter Gerjets, Knowedge Media Research Center, GermanyKatharina Scheiter, University of Tübingen, GermanyBrigitte Vollmann, Free University Berlin, GermanyRichard Catrambone, Georgia Institute of Technology, USALiterature reviews on hypermedia learning have yet failed to show consistent positive effects oflearner-controlled nonlinear information access. We argue that a possible reason for this lack ofevidence in favor of hypermedia learning results from the fact that not sufficient attention is paidto pattern of learner characteristics and to the strategies of information utilization learners deploy.The few studies that do analyze information utilization strategies fail to link them to aninstructional approach, which hampers a deeper interpretation of strategy patterns. Furthermore,– 278 –