Exploring the Role of Infographics for Summarizing Medical Literature

TLDR

The study examined whether infographic summaries of medical research improve reader preference, reduce cognitive load, and enhance delayed retention compared to text‑only abstracts, and called for further research on practical implications. A two‑phase within‑subjects experiment assessed preference and cognitive load via a 9‑point Paas scale and preference scale, then measured delayed retention with free‑ and cued‑recall questions four weeks later. Infographic summaries were preferred and required less mental effort than text‑only abstracts, but did not improve delayed information retention, suggesting infographics may aid summarization without affecting recall.

Abstract

To investigate differences in (1) reader preference, (2) cognitive load during summary review, and (3) delayed information retention between infographic article summaries and traditional text-only research abstracts. The three study outcomes were assessed using a two-phase within-subjects experiment. In phase 1, participants rated cognitive load as the mental effort they invested in reviewing eight article summaries (four in infographic format and four in text-only abstract format) on the 9-point Paas scale (1=low mental effort, 9=high mental effort) and indicated their preferred summary format on a 9-point preference scale (1=preferred infographics, 9=preferred text-only abstracts). Four weeks later, phase-2 tested delayed information retention via two free-recall and two cued-recall questions per article. Participants preferred infographic summaries to traditional text-only research abstract summaries as evidenced by a mean format preference score (mean±standard deviation) of 3.97±2.48 (t(71)=13.6, p=0.01) which was significantly more positive than the neutral score of 5 on the 9 point preference scale. Mean mental effort during summary review was lower for infographics (4.30±1.34) than for text-only abstracts (5.06±1.35, t(70)=4.41, p=0.01). There was no statistically significant difference in delayed information retention. This study suggests that infographics could play a role in summarizing medical research literature. While no difference was found in delayed information retention, infographics were associated with higher reader preference and lower cognitive load during summary review. Further research should clarify the practical implications of these findings.