The Effect of Animation on Learning Action Symbols by Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether participants with intellectual impairments could benefit from the movement associated with animated pictures while they were learning symbol names. Sixteen school students, whose linguistic-developmental age ranged from 38–91 months, participated in the experiment. They were taught 16 static visual symbols and the corresponding action words (naming task) in two sessions conducted one week apart. In the experimental condition, animation was employed to facilitate comprehension, whereas no animation was used in the control condition. Enhancement of learning was shown in the experimental condition, suggesting that the participants benefited from animated symbols. Furthermore, it was found that the lower the linguistic developmental age, the more effective the animated cue was in learning static visual symbols.