This study, designed to determine whether contextual organizers presented before prose passages can improve learning and retention among undergraduates with no prior knowledge of the subject, compared the effects of two types of organizers--images and their verbal equivalents--as well as organizers versus a control group. Twenty-five references…

A study tested two alternative theories about the role of color in visual learning: first, that color provides an additional dimension of realism which results in the learner attaining a more complete image of the object or event and second, that color functions only as a coding device which facilitates the storage and retrieval of the image. Two…

The effectiveness of elaborate visual cueing and reduced step size (i.e., increasing the number of visual cues) in facilitating student achievement on different instructional tasks was examined. The hypothesis proposed that instructional treatments utilizing reduced step size and elaborate visual cueing alone and in combination would be superior…

Describes a study of undergraduates that explored the technique of progressive disclosure of information as a type of interactive illustration using paired associates. Noninteractive stimuli versus progressive stimuli are compared, and progression as a technique that provides a visual link to help create a semantic link and facilitate memory is…

The focus of this study was to measure the communicative power of business symbols with a business audience. A panel of three people selected 15 appropriate business symbols which then appeared on a questionnaire which showed each symbol with a blank space for the respondent to provide a one word or short answer of the symbol's meaning.…

Explains a generative theory of textbook design and describes three experiments that compared college students' solutions on transfer problems after reading science texts with illustrations adjacent to corresponding text and including annotations, and illustrations separated from text without annotations. (LRW)

This study explores the interpretation of two types of flow diagrams composed of different visual elements intended to communicate the same meaning. Using linear and cyclical diagrams, the study focused on whether, given a series of diagrams using linear elements and a series using cyclical elements, both types of visuals convey the same message…

The purpose of the study reported in this paper was to examine the effect of visuals possessing different amounts of realistic detail and the effects of integrating covert and overt rehearsal strategies into visually complemented prose instruction. A total of 128 university students participated in the study, which involved a prose text on the…

This study investigated the effects of (1) verbal instruction alone vs. verbal instruction complemented by simple line drawings; (2) visual testing vs. nonvisual testing; (3) verbal cueing vs. free recall on achievement; and (4) order of testing on subsequent achievement. Interactions among type of instruction, type of testing, and order of…

A study tested two alternative theories about the relation of color and visual learning: that realistic color serves to facilitate retention of instructional material and that all color functions only as a coding device which facilitates storage and retrieval of information. It also tried to discern an interaction between learner IQ and color…

Two instructional variables, visual illustrations and visual mental imagery, were compared for their influences on learning and cognitive strategies. It was hypothesized, based on dual-code theory, that attempts to combine the two would facilitate learning. In a completely randomized factorial design, treatments consisted of 4 versions of a…

There is substantial evidence that prose-relevant pictures contribute to increased recall of prose materials, particularly if the subjects are young children. The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of prose-relevant pictures to immediate and delayed recall of written prose including science content when the subjects were…

Describes study of undergraduates conducted to test the effectiveness of illustrations in texts, based on two hypotheses concerned with the differences between analogical and literal illustrations in serving two specific instructional functions and ways in which male and female students utilize illustrations. Results are analyzed, and…

A study investigated the results of previous studies on the effectiveness of pictorial instruction, specifically examining whether the use of black-and-white pictorial instruction as a supplement to verbal instruction is more effective than the use of verbal instruction alone. Thirty-four studies on pictorial instruction that varied widely but…

A study examined the effect that the quality and clarity of the photographic image used in advertising have on the recall of photographic content. It was hypothesized that there will be no significant difference between response rates of high and low signal noise ratio (S/N) photographs, and also that there will be no significant difference…