Reducing cognitive load by mixing auditory and visual presentation modes.

TLDR

The split‑attention effect, where students must divide attention between multiple sources, increases cognitive load, while presentation‑modality research suggests visual and auditory inputs are processed by partially independent working‑memory subsystems, implying that a mixed modality could enhance working‑memory capacity. The study aimed to determine whether presenting geometry statements auditorily, rather than visually, could reduce split‑attention effects. Six experiments demonstrated that a mixed auditory‑visual presentation of geometry worked examples reduces cognitive load and supports the hypothesis.

Abstract

This article reports findings on the use of a partly auditory and partly visual mode of presentation for geometry worked examples. The logic was based on the split-attention effect and the effect of presentation modality on working memory. The split-attention effect occurs when students must split their attention between multiple sources of information, which results in a heavy cognitive load. Presentation-modality effects suggest that working memory has partially independent processors for handling visual and auditory material. Effective working memory may be increased by presenting material in a mixed rather than a unitary mode. If so, the negative consequences of split attention in geometry might be ameliorated by presenting geometry statements in auditory, rather than visual, form. The results of 6 experiments supported this hypothesis.