This paper discusses a study regarding the ways that animation can reduce cognitive load. Previous literature has shown that excessive stimulus places an individual at risk of learning with anxiety. The study observed the effects of three different presentation modes on the learning meiosis process with students of three different anxiety levels. The first presentation mode included text with a static graphic, the second included text with animated graphics, and the third included text with segmented animation. The samples for this study were randomly selected high school students that had no prior knowledge regarding the learning process being tested. The authors measured learning through a test with multiple choice and essay questions on conceptual knowledge and problem-solving. The results of the study show that there is not a significant difference in learning among student when receiving information as text with animated graphics and text with static graphics. However, students that used text with segmented animation were shown to be significantly better at learning. No significant differences between students of different anxiety levels was found. The authors were therefore able to conclude that there were in fact cognitive benefits to segmented animation. Text with segmented animation allows learners to learn piece by piece without overusing cognitive space and therefore properly digest information, while static graphics and continuous animation creates unnecessary cognitive load.
This paper relates to our project because the topic was “learning in the wild” and the problem that we are trying to remedy through design is information overload. There is therefore this direct connection of the study focusing on the way individuals learn and the way that cognitive overload affects this learning process. When we first began the design process, we knew that we wanted to create something that could help solve the problem of feeling overwhelmed as a student who must not only keep track of academic responsibilities but also other information regarding student life (both social and non-social). Most of this non-academic information is portrayed to students, at least on Williams’ campus, as text via email or a website. However, this study shows that the best way for students to process this information would be through some sort of visual in addition to text to allow learners to relate the information both visually and verbally to knowledge stored in their long-term memory. RES is designed to incorporate both visuals and text since it is formatted as a map with images (emojis) to mark location of particular events, where there will be more text regarding the event once clicked on. The design of our app can even be seen as “segmented animation” because the visuals are there but there is not constant movement on the screen since motion on the map is controlled by the user. Reading this paper has made me confident in the way that our group decided on the general design of our app and we can definitely keep the way that students process information best in mind when continuing to refine our design.
Research Paper Citation:
Fong, Soon Fook, Lee Pei Lin Lily, and Fei Ping Por. “Reducing Cognitive Overload Among Students of Different Anxiety Levels Using Segmented Animation.” Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 47 (2012): 1448-456. Web.