Do automatic validation and reactivation processes also take place when learning with text and pictures?

• Applicant: Privatdozentin Dr. Anne Schüler
• Subject Area: Developmental and Educational Psychology
• Term: from 2020 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 445168911

Text-picture combinations have always played a central role in knowledge acquisition (Schnotz, 2002). Theoretically, the empirically observed advantage of text-picture combinations over text presentation alone (cf. Mayer, 2009) is explained by the fact that learners actively select relevant information, organize it mentally into a verbal and a pictorial model, and finally integrate the two mental models with each other. Based on findings from text comprehension research (e.g. Cook & O'Brien, 2014; Kintsch, 1988; Richter, Schroeder & Wöhrmann, 2009), however, it can be assumed that, in addition to selection, organisation and integration, other cognitive processes could play a central role in learning with text and pictures, namely validation and reactivation. The validation mechanism examines whether the integration of information that has taken place makes sense against the background of general world knowledge or the concrete context. The reactivation mechanism reactivates information that is currently no longer in working memory, but which is needed to establish global coherence. This reactivated information is then integrated with the content currently in the working memory. Typically, these two cognitive processes are of a passive nature, i.e. they take place automatically. The aim of the six experiments listed in the work programme is to check whether automatic reactivation and validation processes also take place when learning with text-picture combinations. For this purpose, different paradigms from text comprehension research (e.g. fan effect paradigm, epistemic stroop paradigm, contradiction paradigm) are transferred to learning with text-picture combinations: In experiments A.1 and A.2, the epistemic stroop paradigm (e.g. Richter et al., 2009) is used to investigate the extent to which validation takes place in simple and more complex text-picture combinations. Experiments B.1 and B.2 use the fan effect paradigm (e.g. Anderson, 1974) to investigate the extent to which text-picture combinations are reactivated and - in the case of reactivation - whether text and picture are reactivated as separate units or as integrated units. Experiments C.1 and C.2 investigate the interplay of reactivation and validation in simple text-picture combinations (using the epistemic Stroop paradigm) and more complex text-picture combinations (using the contradiction paradigm; e.g. Albrecht & O'Brien, 1993).On the basis of the knowledge gained from the experiments, the theoretical assumptions for learning with text and pictures will be further specified. In addition, knowledge of the processes taking place can be used in the long term to derive further measures to support learning with text and pictures.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants