The seductive detail effect arises when people learn more deeply from a multimedia presentation when interesting but irrelevant adjuncts are excluded. However, previous studies about this effect are rather inconclusive and contained various methodical problems. The recent experiment attempted to overcome these methodical problems. Undergraduate students (N = 95) had to read an illustrated introductory text about the elaboration likelihood model (i.e. a theory in social psychology) and then took a retention and transfer test. Each learner was randomly assigned to one cell of a 3 (low, medium or high degree of decorative elements in the top line and footer) x 3 (low, medium or high degree of decorative elements in a flow chart) between subjects factorial design. Neither the degree of adjuncts in the top line and footer nor the degree of adjuncts in the flow chart significantly influences retention, transfer or time spent with the presentation. (Contains 2 tables, 1 footnote and 2 figures.)