What Pace is Best? Assessing Adults' Learning from Slideshows and Video

摘要

When acquiring information from a 2D platform, self-control and/or optimal pacing may help reduce cognitive load and enhance learning outcomes. In the present research, adults viewed novel action sequences via one of four learning media: (1) self-paced slideshows, where viewers advanced through slides at their own pace by clicking a mouse, (2) yoked-paced slideshows, where viewers watched the computer advance the slides at another's pace, (3) set-paced slide-shows, where viewers watched the computer advance the slides at a constant pace, and (4) continuous video. Adults completed several memory tasks and performed the actions they had viewed. Results supported marginally higher learning outcomes on measures tapping deeper understanding in the computer-controlled slideshow conditions when compared to the self-paced group. Further, chi-square tests suggested that performance and learning medium were dependent on each other; the set-paced group produced the most high performers and the self-paced group produced the most low performers. Perhaps the reliable timing of the set-paced version made organization of information easier while the self-paced presentation divided attention and made focusing a challenging task. This work suggests that self-control is not always advantageous when designing instructional programs, but that reducing cognitive load and presenting information in segments may be helpful.