ERIC Number: EJ947480
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Feb
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0360-1315
EISSN: N/A
The Effects of Presentation Method and Information Density on Visual Search Ability and Working Memory Load
Chang, Ting-Wen; Kinshuk; Chen, Nian-Shing; Yu, Pao-Ta
Computers & Education, v58 n2 p721-731 Feb 2012
This study investigates the effects of successive and simultaneous information presentation methods on learner's visual search ability and working memory load for different information densities. Since the processing of information in the brain depends on the capacity of visual short-term memory (VSTM), the limited information processing capacity of learners may affect the visual search ability and working memory load differently for successive and simultaneous presentations. A change-detection experiment was conducted in this research to analyze visual search ability and working memory load. Two 4 x 4 dot arrays with three information densities were designed for the two presentation methods to test twenty-two participants. The results of the study indicated significant differences between the visual search abilities and the working memory loads for the two types of presentations at higher levels of information densities. Furthermore, significant differences were identified between visual search abilities for different information densities, due to the limited capacity of VSTM. The correlations of visual search ability and working memory load showed that the attention of the learners with higher visual search ability and lower working memory loads would perform better than the learners with lower visual search ability and higher working memory load. (Contains 6 tables and 4 figures.)
Descriptors: Short Term Memory, Information Processing, Teaching Methods, Correlation, Brain, Search Strategies, Experiments
Elsevier. 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, FL 32887-4800. Tel: 877-839-7126; Tel: 407-345-4020; Fax: 407-363-1354; e-mail: usjcs@elsevier.com; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2131
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A