Two experiments are reported that investigated the relative effectiveness of a realistic dynamic visualization as opposed to a schematic visualization for learning about cell replication (mitosis). In Experiment 1, 37 university students watched either realistic or schematic visualizations. Students' subjective task demands ratings as well as…

New technologies enable flexible combinations of text and interactive or non-interactive pictures. The aim of the present study was to investigate (a) whether adding pictures to texts is generally beneficial for learning or whether it can also have detrimental effects, (b) how interactivity of pictures affects learning, (c) whether the…

Because animations can depict situational dynamics explicitly, they have the potential to help learners build coherent, high-quality mental models of complex change processes. Further, "interactive" animations provide opportunities for learners to deal with available information selectively and so avoid excessive processing demands. However, to be…