Abstracts - Earli

Speeding up or slowing down the animation? The effect of speed on learning outcomes and mentaleffortBjorn de Koning, Erasmus University Rotterdam, NetherlandsHuib Tabbers, Erasmus University Rotterdam, NetherlandsRemy Rikers, Erasmus University Rotterdam, NetherlandsFred Paas, Open University of the Netherlands, NetherlandsAnimations are transient and often consist of several simultaneously occurring events, so learningfrom animations will lead to a high cognitive load. In the present study we have tried tomanipulate this load by varying the speed of the animation, and hence the time that is available toprocess all different elements in the animation. Psychology students viewed an animation of thecardiovascular system, followed by a comprehension test and a transfer test. One group studied theanimation while the animation was shown at a relatively high speed, and another group studied theanimation while the animation was shown at a relatively low speed. Surprisingly, results indicatedthat studying the animation at a high speed resulted in less mental effort than studying theanimation at a low speed. Moreover, comprehension and transfer performance were the same forboth groups. From this it was concluded that the speed at which animations are shown might playa crucial role in the efficiency of learning from animations. Moreover, these results raise seriousdoubts against the widespread belief that showing an animation at a higher speed makescomprehension of the animation more difficult both in terms of cognitive load and learningoutcome.Effects of playing rate on perceptual and cognitive processing of animationsKatja Meyer, Koblenz-Landau University, GermanyWolfgang Schnotz, Koblenz-Landau University, GermanyThorsten Rasch, Koblenz-Landau University, GermanyPerceptual and cognitive processes play an important role when learning with visualisations. Whenlearning with dynamic visualisations the speed of presentation is important due to the fluent natureof animations. Aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the playing rate of animationson the salience of dynamic hierarchical levels and on the construction of dynamic mental modelswhen learners differ in prior knowledge. Therefore exploration strategies of learners with high andlow prior knowledge were analysed with regard to the correlation between exploration patternsand learning outcomes in self-directed learning from a user-controlled animation of a four-strokecycle engine. After answering different tests concerning their prerequisites (perceptual ability,spatial ability, physical-technical problem solving, prior knowledge, current motivation) learnerswere asked to learn as much as they could about the processes shown in the animation. During thelearning process control activities of the students were recorded in log-files. Additionally eitherthinking aloud or eye tracking methods were applied. After the learning phase the acquisition andapplication of knowledge were tested, and cognitive load and mental effort were assessed. Twentyundergraduate students from our university were tested. On the basis of the thinking aloudprotocols and eye movements the process of mental model construction was analysed. First resultsindicate that the playing rate of animations had a strong influence on perceptual processing andthus, on higher order cognitive processing. According to our assumptions, dependent on the speedof the animation different aspects become more or less salient. From the perspective of multimedialearning it is crucial to find out the optimal presentation speed for dynamic visualisations in orderto emphasise different hierarchical levels of animations and thus, support the construction ofadequate dynamic mental models.– 513 –