Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning Information Processing Eddie

Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning Information Processing Eddie Mathews EDTI 6304 Cognition & Learning UTB Spring 2012

Background of Cognitive Studies • Cognitivism replaced behaviorism in the late 1960’s as the dominant paradigm • Cognitivism focuses on the inner mental activities –the “black box” of the human mind • Researchers believed mental processes such as thinking, memory, knowing, and problem-solving need to be explored • In recent years, much has been learned about cognition and learning

Common Assumptions • Two separate channels for processing information: auditory and visual (some call this “Dual-Coding Theory”) • Each channel has a limited capacity for processing information (“Cognitive Load”) • Learning is the active process of filtering, selecting, organizing, and integrating information based upon prior knowledge

Cognitive Psychology Research Richard E. Mayer has developed a theory which involves cognition, instruction, and technology. Mayer’s research led to a theory called “Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning” that contribute heavily computerbased instruction

What is C. T. M. L. ? Basically, in a nutshell… Mayer’s “Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning argues that… “People learn more deeply from words and pictures than from words alone. ” Channel 1 Channel 2 Better Understanding

What is Multimedia Learning? Term Multimedia Definition Presenting words and pictures Multimedia learning Building mental representations from words and pictures Multimedia instruction Presenting words and pictures that are intended to promote learning

Cognitive Components Term Sensory Memory Working Memory Definition memory store holding images on the eyes and sounds on the ears for a brief period limited-capacity memory store for storing sounds/images in active consciousness

CTML: Cognitive Processes words ears pictures eyes Long-Term Memory Working Memory sounds images media organization Sensory Memory media selection Multimedia Presentation verbal model integrating prior knowledge pictorial model

Processing Pictures pictures eyes images media organization Working Memory Sensory Memory media selection Multimedia Presentation Long-Term Memory integrating prior knowledge pictorial model

Processing Spoken Words words ears Working Memory sounds media organization Sensory Memory media selection Multimedia Presentation verbal model Long-Term Memory integrating prior knowledge

Processing Printed Words Sensory Memory media selection words Working Memory eyes sounds images media organization Multimedia Presentation verbal model Long-Term Memory integrating prior knowledge

Now for some application… Multimedia Principles (based on Mayer’s research)

1. Multimedia Principle Students learn better from words and pictures than from words alone.

Example: Pump Lesson When the handle is pulled up, the piston moves up, the inlet valve opens, the outlet valve closes and air enters the lower part of the cylinder. When the handle is pushed down, the piston moves down, the inlet valve closes, the outlet valve opens, and air moves out through the hose.

2. Spatial Contiguity Principle Students learn better when corresponding words and pictures are presented near rather than far from each other on the page or screen.

3. Temporal Contiguity Principle Students learn better when corresponding words and pictures are presented simultaneously rather than successively.

Example: Weather Lesson 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Cool moist air moves over a warmer surface and becomes heated Warmed moist air near the earth’s surface rises rapidly. As the air in this updraft cools, water vapor condenses into water droplets and forms a cloud. The cloud’s top extends above the freezing level, so the upper portion of the cloud is composed of tiny ice crystals. Eventually, the water droplets and ice crystals become too large to be suspended by the updrafts. As raindrops and ice crystals fall through the cloud, they drag some of the air in the cloud downward, producing downdrafts. When downdrafts strike the ground, they spread out in all directions, producing the gust of wind people feel before the start of rain. Within the cloud, the rising and falling air currents cause electrical charges to build.

4. Coherence Principle Students learn better when extraneous words, pictures, and sounds are excluded rather than included.

5. Modality Principle Students learn better from animation and narration than from animation and on-screen text.

6. Redundancy Principle Better transfer occurs when animation and narration are not combined with printed text. When pictures and words are both presented visually, it can overload visual working memory capacity.

7. Individual Differences Principle Design effects are stronger for lowknowledge learners than from highknowledge learners and for high-spatial learners than for low-spatial learners.

Credits & References Retrieved from the Internet: • http: //www. learning-theories. com/cognitivism. html • http: //www. psych. ucsb. edu/people/faculty/mayer/index. php Clark, R. C. , & Mayer, R. E. (2008). Applying the multimedia principle. E-learning and the science of instruction (3 rd ed. , pp. 447 -478). San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer. Mayer, R. E. , & Gallini, J. K. (1990). When an illustration is worth then thousand words? Journal of Educational Psychology, 88, 64 -73 Mayer, R. E. , & Moreno, R. (2003). Nine ways to reduce cognitive load in multimedia learning. Educational Psychologist, 38(1). 43 – 52.