Citation

Rockwell SC, Singleton LA. Media Psychol. 2007; 9(1): 179-191.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15213260709336808

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The proliferation of fast computer systems and high-speed Internet connections allows for the increasingly practical delivery of streaming audio and video in educational or informational presentations. Many proponents of this technology advocate its use, citing that it is more media-rich and therefore more engaging than less rich forms. This study seeks to determine how different modalities of presentation (text-only, text?audio, and text?audio?video) impacted information acquisition from a PowerPoint presentation. One hundred thirty two participants were placed into 1 of 3 presentation modes. After viewing the presentation, their level of information acquisition was assessed. Results indicate that participants in the more media-rich groups acquired less information from the presentation. These results challenge anecdotal reports regarding the effectiveness of media-rich presentations.
Abstract The proliferation of fast computer systems and high-speed Internet connections allows for the increasingly practical delivery of streaming audio and video in educational or informational presentations. Many proponents of this technology advocate its use, citing that it is more media-rich and therefore more engaging than less rich forms. This study seeks to determine how different modalities of presentation (text-only, text?audio, and text?audio?video) impacted information acquisition from a PowerPoint presentation. One hundred thirty two participants were placed into 1 of 3 presentation modes. After viewing the presentation, their level of information acquisition was assessed. Results indicate that participants in the more media-rich groups acquired less information from the presentation. These results challenge anecdotal reports regarding the effectiveness of media-rich presentations.