Schüler, A. , Scheiter, K. & Gerjets, P.
Multimedia Lab. Knowledge Media Research Center. Tübingen, Germany
The main goal of the reported study was to investigate whether recent specifications concerning the structure of the visuo-spatial sketchpad (VSSP) have implications for learning with text and pictures. In particular, it was assumed that pictures are beneficial for learning only when the text conveys non-spatial rather than spatial information, because the processing of spatial text contents, of the picture, and the execution of eye movements may interfere with each other in the spatial part of the VSSP.
To test this hypothesis, 85 students were randomly assigned to one of four conditions, which resulted from a 2×2 between-subjects design, with picture presentation (with vs. without) and text contents (visual vs. spatial) as factors. The results confirmed the expected interference between processing of spatial text information and pictures: the beneficial effect of picture presentation was observed only when the texts conveyed visual information, but not when it conveyed spatial information. Importantly, when no pictures were presented also no differences emerged between learners with either visual or spatial texts contents, indicating that the findings are not caused by absolute differences between the two texts such as their difficulty. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.