Effect of Hypertext Cue Presentation on Knowledge Representation

Abstract

One important element of hypertext design is the presentation of the hypertext cue. This study compared learning relationships about animals in an oriental zodiac using one of two online, hypertext presentation styles and printed text. In one hypertext condition, the cues were embedded in the text; in the other condition, the cues were located in the margins. A control condition contained unrelated study materials. The database on the zodiac consisted of a multiple hierarchy. Two measures of learning were used. Reaction time before and after a brief study period was used to assess knowledge about the relationships among animals in the zodiac. Participants' ability to correctly reproduce the underlying model of the zodiac in the database using a card sorting task was used to assess the degree to which they learned the underlying model. Analysis of variance revealed a significant interaction between learning (pre- and post-study period) and presentation condition (hypertext embedded in text, hypertext in the margin, printed text, unrelated text material). An analysis of the results of the card sort data revealed that participants more accurately reproduced the underlying model after study with hypertext, regardless of the location of the cue, than with text. The results are discussed with respect to the design of hypertext information and the need for future research.