The Interaction between Informational and Computational Properties of External Representations on Problem-Solving and Learning
Year: 2003
Type: article
Abstract: This paper reports an experiment that explores if the way instructions for operating a complex device are represented influences problem-solving and learning about the task. Instructions were presented in one complex representation or in multiple simpler ones. The form this information took was tabular, diagrammatic or textual. Participants found the optimal solution more often when given instructions in text representations or in a single representation. However, the single text representation was associated with significantly slower performance. Participants recalled more about the task with text representations, irrespective of how the information was distributed. This experiment confirmed that representations that display instructions in such a way as to increase the cost of operating with them can paradoxically lead to better performance.
Authors: Shaaron Ainsworth, Gareth Peevers
Institution: University of Nottingham
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2626480885