In order to investigate the relative effectiveness of specific media attributes on student performance on criterion tests, a comparison was made of the effectiveness of two levels of stimulus explicitness in visuals in facilitating student achievement on criterion tests of knowledge, comprehension, and total understanding. Subjects were 171…

The first experiment determined that verbal interference (shadowing) was detrimental to the subjects' memory of words and high similarity pictures; the second, designed to minimize the possibility that students would sort through the pictures, indicated that verbal interference did not decrease memory of high similarity pictures. (Author/JEG)

Effective use of visual illustration entails consideration of specific instructional purposes, method of presentation, student characteristics, type of objectives, and cuing techniques. (LS)

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 relationship between cognitive activity, achievement, and the number of eye fixations used by a learner in viewing visuals was examined. Past research has shown a positive correlation between learning and number of eye fixations and indicated that both the stimulus materials themselves and the viewer's intelligence level may influence viewing…

In planning media systems for individualized study it is valuable to know if printed materials are as effective as projected materials in promoting student recall. An experiment to compare printed and projected materials utilized subjects from graduate school, the tenth, and the twelfth grade. Subjects were tested on images in either printed or…

The program of systematic evaluation of variables associated with visual learning was initiated in 1965 to investigate the impact of variables linked to effective, efficient use of instructional visual materials. A prototype experimental package, containing a specific unit of cognitive content, learner achievement objectives, four individual…

This study, to determine whether complexity of detail, scale, and background help subjects to learn technical information, demonstrated no significant difference between groups. One group used the existing self-contained learning package with many complex visuals; the other group used lessons identical in the audio portion but containing…

A meta-analysis procedure was used to review research on pictorial effectiveness which focused on the use of static iconic visuals in instructional materials. The purpose of this exploratory study was to provide a means for forming future hypotheses based upon a quantitative aggregation of past research. The study was concerned with differential…

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…