Abstract
Compared to text, diagrams are superior in their ability to structure and summarize information and to show relations between concepts and ideas. Perceptual cues, like arrows, are expected to improve the retention of diagrams by guiding the learner towards important elements or showing a preferred reading sequence. In our experiment, we analyzed how students studied four different versions of informationally equivalent, but differently organized matrix diagrams on personality disorders. The diagram consisted of four header cells on top and four on the left, organizing the content into 16 body cells around four types of personality disorders and four categories within each type. Arrows connected the cells either from left to right or top-down. Participants were 81 university students. We found that the participants mainly studied the diagram based on the four types of personality disorders and that the arrows did not guide initial reading behavior. A post-test with retention questions showed that the participants performed better on the questions that focused on types than on the questions that focused on categories, regardless of the condition they were in. Our study has shown that in matrix diagrams the conceptual information guided reading behavior more than the orientation of the diagram and perceptual cues.
Highlights
Did the participants study the diagram from top to bottom or from left to right and was the sequence based on perceptual cues? We used the Eye Movement Sequence (EMS) model we developed for an earlier study
Irrespective of the experimental condition, we found a dominant reading order based on the content of the diagram
Top-down processes consist of attention given to certain areas of the diagram which is driven by goals, and prior knowledge of both the visualization and its content (Hegarty 2011)
Summary
You have to learn four types of personality disorders with four categories of personality traits. These data have been put in a matrix diagram combining the two factors (see Fig. 1). Would the order in which you read the information chunks be guided by the arrows, or would your knowledge of personality disorders or matrix diagrams determine how you read it? We examine effects of arrows on reading order and recall of information in a matrix diagram. We examine patterns of eye fixations to see how design of the diagram interacts with knowledge, and how reading order influences recall of information
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have