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Cognitive Principles of Multimedia Learning:

The Role of Modality and Contiguity

Roxana Moreno and Richard E. Mayer, Journal of Educational

Psychology 1999.

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Contiguity Principle

• Effectiveness of multimedia instruction increases when words and pictures are presented contiguously

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Contiguity Principle

• Effectiveness of multimedia instruction increases when words and pictures are presented contiguously

• Two effects:– Spatial-contiguity effect

• Printed text and pictures physically integrated (we’ve read about this one already)

– Temporal-contiguity effect• Visual and spoken materials are temporally synchronized• Example: operation of bike pump + narration

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Modality Principle

• In multimedia presentations, words should be presented as auditory narration and not as visual on-screen text

• In short-term memory tasks, auditory presentation usually results in higher recall than does visual presentation (Penney 1989, Frick 1984)

• “Attention better divided between two auditory or two visual channels” (Wickens, 1984)

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Modality Principle

• In multimedia presentations, words should be presented as auditory narration and not as visual on-screen text

• In short-term memory tasks, auditory presentation usually results in higher recall than does visual presentation (Penney 1989, Frick 1984)

• “Attention better divided between two auditory or two visual channels” (Wickens, 1984)– (Question to Ken) What does this mean??

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Experiment One• Goal: To distinguish between

spatial contiguity effects and modality effects using animation– How?

• By manipulation of proximity of visual text with animation

• 132 college low-experience students

• Results:– Modality effect in which

students learned better when verbal input presented as speech and not visual text

– Spatial-contiguity effect in which students learned better when visual and verbal materials presented physically close together

• Goal: To examine (more closely) the modality – How?

• By manipulation of simultaneous or sequential presentation

• 127 college low-experience students

• Results:– Modality effect in which

students learned better when verbal input presented as speech and not visual text

Experiment Two

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Clarifying Cognitive Principles of Multimedia Design

• Calls for more precise term for “split-attention effect”– Cannot distinguish between one of three cognitive

effect types• Spatial-contiguity effect

– Learning effects due to physical closeness of verbal and non-verbal visual materials

• Temporal-contiguity effect– Learning effects due to synchronicity between verbal and non-

verbal material• Modality effects

– Learning effects due to different modalities to present verbal materials (speech versus text)