Abstract
AbstractTwo studies are reported which aim to test the generality of the conclusions drawn from previous literature on the effectiveness of flowcharts with adult participants. In Experiment One secondary school children of different ages took part, and in Experiment Two a group of senior citizens participated. In both experiments, the effectiveness of a flow chart was compared with that of short contingency statements for finding a solution to a complex problem.In Experiment One there was an initial advantage for the flow chart over the contingency statements in terms of speed but this was not the case in Experiment Two. Furthermore, the results showed there to be no significant differences in error rates between the two modes of presentation in both experiments. Participants who were particularly accurate responders did not respond any more slowly (or quickly) in Experiment One.Practice at the task had marked effects. The differences in speed between the two modes of presentation on trial 1 were markedly reduced on trial 2 in both experiments and performance speeded up with practice. Age also played a part. In Experiment One, older children performed more rapidly than younger ones. In Experiment Two, the elderly participants found both formats very difficult to use. It seems that the generally accepted view that flowcharts are superior to contingency statements might not hold for younger participants or for the elderly, especially when accuracy is the main criterion.
Published Version
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