Seductive Details Effect Research Articles

Exploring the effects of seductive details and illustration dynamics on young children's performance in an origami task

AbstractBackgroundPrevious studies have shown that dynamic illustrations, as compared to their static counterparts, lead to higher achievement levels, especially for hand‐based procedures. Other researchers have investigated how the presence of seductive details (i.e., appealing but irrelevant adjunct displays) influences students' interest positively but their learning negatively.ObjectivesThe purpose of the two present studies was to investigate the effects of animated versus static presentations, combined with the presence of seductive details, on student performance on a paper‐folding task (i.e., origami) in a naturalistic school environment.MethodsFifty‐five children (5–6 years old) participated in the first study and were randomly assigned to one of four groups. The second study was conducted with older children (72 s or third graders) and a more complex origami task.Results and ConclusionsIn the first study, results demonstrated negative effects of seductive details on children's performance and time on task, but no effects of presentation format. In the second study, no negative effects of seductive details on student achievement were found, but animated illustrations significantly improved children's performance and reduced time on task. However, seductive details tended to impair learning more greatly given the presence of static, as compared to animated, presentations. Task difficulties and pupils' ability to inhibit irrelevant information may explain these results.

The Impact of Observing a Video-Based Student Model on Learning

Understanding the impact of observing a video-based student model demonstrating study behaviors on learning might help educators utilize videos as instructional strategies to promote students’ academic motivation and benefit learning. This study evaluated two competing hypotheses on whether watching videos consisting of a studying person and non-human studying-related visual cues will increase learners’ performance through the lens of modeling and the seductive details effect. A 2 (Human: presence, absence) × 2 (Cues: decorated, plain) randomized factorial design was conducted on Amazon MTurk. A modeling effect was not found in this study. However, support for the seductive details effect hypothesis was found in which observing a human was seductive because indirectly human behavior without specific ties to the learning task in a video appears to cause distraction from learning and trigger a seductive details effect.

Seductive details hamper learning even when they do not disrupt

Previous research often revealed detrimental effects of seductive details on learning with multimedia instruction, but there are mixed findings regarding how to best explain these detrimental effects. We investigated whether the detrimental effects of seductive details are mainly mediated by the cognitive processes of diversion (deeper processing of seductive details rather than pertinent content) or disruption (unsuccessful attempts to integrate seductive details with pertinent content) by assessing the effects of instructional prompts. In an online learning experiment, participants (N = 247) learned either without seductive details (control condition) or with seductive details in one of three conditions: Participants received either a prompt informing them about the irrelevance of seductive details (irrelevance-prompt), a prompt to process seductive details and pertinent content separately (separation-prompt), or no prompt within their task instruction. We assessed recall and transfer of knowledge as dependent variables. Supporting the diversion hypothesis, participants in the no-prompt condition regarded seductive details as more relevant and consequently spent more time processing them compared to participants in the irrelevance-prompt condition, which negatively influenced their recall performance. Against the disruption hypothesis, participants in the no-prompt condition reported lower integration avoidance between seductive details and pertinent content compared to participants in the separation-prompt condition, but this led to better rather than worse transfer performance. Our results thus suggest diversion, and not disruption, to be the main process driving the seductive details effect. Reducing the details’ diverting potential seems a good way to deal with seductive details in instruction.

Inconsistent interactions between the seductive details effect and ego depletion in multimedia learning

AbstractMultimedia learning often consists of a sequence of tasks, and research suggests that the sequence itself may influence learning outcomes. This study examines one theory related to task sequencing, known as ego depletion, and its interaction with a well‐established instructional design effect, the seductive details effect. To investigate the potential impact of ego depletion, a state of depleted self‐control strength, on learning with seductive details, which are interesting but irrelevant elements of the instruction, we conducted a randomized controlled experiment in which both ego depletion and seductive details were manipulated as two between‐subjects independent variables. Although manipulation checks confirmed the efficacy of the interventions, we found mixed results in learning outcome measures, particularly in the investigation of an interaction between the seductive details effect and ego depletion. Specifically, we found an amplified seductive details effect on transfer but not retention for depleted participants. These results suggest that ego depletion may not always occur to an extent that significantly influences learning in learner‐paced learning environments.

Inconsistent seduction: Addressing confounds and methodological issues in the study of the seductive detail effect.

IntroductionThe inclusion of interesting but irrelevant details in instructional materials may interfere with recall and application of the core content. Although this seductive detail effect is well researched, recent research highlights factors that may influence the effect size.ObjectivesThe current study discusses confounds and methodological issues in the study of seductive details and outlines strategies for overcoming them. These practices were then applied in a study that examined the role of learning objectives on the seductive detail effect.MethodsSeductive details were selected on the basis of interest and importance level and matched for word count and reading level. The 3 × 2 between‐subjects design presented 132 undergraduate students with a lesson on plate tectonics; participants completed tests on both recall and transfer.ResultsResults did not reveal a consistent detrimental effect of high‐interest details on core content recall and transfer. On the recall test, contrary to expectation, the seductive detail effect obtained only when objectives were provided. A similar pattern emerged on the transfer task.ConclusionThese findings highlight the difficulty of consistently eliciting the seductive detail effect. We discuss outstanding issues that must be addressed in order to develop practical guidelines on the inclusion of seductive details in educational materials.

Seductive details do their damage also in longer learning sessions – When the details are perceived as relevant

AbstractBackgroundPast research has shown that seductive details (i.e., interesting, but irrelevant adjuncts in learning materials) hamper learning in short, instructor‐paced learning sessions through impaired cognitive processing.ObjectivesWe integrate theory and research on multimedia learning and self‐control to test whether detrimental effects of seductive details also apply to longer and strenuous learning sessions (e.g., online lectures), in which there is greater need for self‐control.MethodsA total of N = 194 students studied five chapters in a digital learning unit about chemistry either (1) without seductive details, or (2) with seductive details but without being informed about their irrelevance for the learning goal, or (3) with seductive details while being informed about their irrelevance. To assess learning outcomes, all students completed the same posttests for recall and transfer of knowledge.Results and conclusionsFor students who were uninformed about the details' irrelevance, the seductive details impeded learning outcomes not just overall, but also in the final phase of prolonged studying (i.e., when the willingness to self‐control is reduced). The latter effect was mediated through a reduced positive affect.ImplicationsThe seductive details effect seems to generalize to prolonged learning sessions, where students may start to dislike the seductive details.

Emotional Responses to Seductive Scientific Texts During Online and Offline Reading Tasks

ABSTRACT Highly interesting but unimportant seductive details are commonly added to scientific texts, harming reader comprehension and memory for important content while also potentially evoking a strong emotional response. In two experiments, the effects of seductive details on participants’ memory and emotional responses to seductive and nonseductive scientific texts were explored. In Experiment 1, participants read two scientific texts on related scientific topics with embedded seductive details and rated the sentences for importance and interest. In Experiment 2, participants read and then recalled one seductive and one nonseductive scientific text and rated the emotional responses they experienced during one reading task and one recall task. Participants rated seductive details as more interesting than important and recalled fewer scientific concepts from seductive texts compared to nonseductive texts. Although negative emotions were predictive of better recall of scientific concepts, the presence of seductive details and positive emotions were predictive of a reduced recall performance.

When and how seductive details harm learning. A study using cued retrospective reporting

SummaryWe investigated the processes that make seductive details (i.e., interesting but irrelevant pictures and text passages in learning materials) harmful for learning scientific concepts and principles. In our experiment, students (N = 113) learned without seductive details (control condition) or with seductive details, and afterwards worked on a knowledge test. They then retrospectively verbalized their thoughts during learning while watching a replay of their eye‐movements during the learning session (cued retrospective reporting). Our findings showed that seductive details hampered the transfer of knowledge in students with lower final school grades (d = −0.60). The verbal reports from the seductive details group, which were rated according to three detrimental cognitive processes, indicated that several students constructed mental models around the seductive details (i.e., diversion). This diversion led to worse recall of the relevant learning contents. The detrimental effects of seductive details therefore seem to be mainly caused by diversion.

Testing the seductive details effect: Does the format or the amount of seductive details matter?

SummaryA body of research indicates that the inclusion of seductive details in instructional materials negatively impacts learning. However, there is scant research that examines the format and the amount of seductive details as potential moderating factors across multiple learning outcomes. In two studies, one focused on seductive pictures and one on seductive text, we examined whether the amount of seductive details influenced learning performance on several outcomes. Experiment 1 participants were 88 middle school students (68% female,Mage= 17.45 years) randomly assigned to no‐seductive‐images (n= 30), single‐seductive‐image‐per‐screen (n= 30), and multiple‐seductive‐images‐per‐screen (n= 28) conditions. In Experiment 2 focused on seductive text, participants were 93 middle school students (61% female;Mage= 17.26 years) randomly assigned to no‐seductive‐details (n= 33), short‐seductive‐details (n= 33), and long‐seductive‐details (n= 30) conditions. Across experiments, we collected data on situational interest, cognitive load, retention, and transfer as well as judgments of learning, distraction, and learning‐related emotions. Findings showed that students learning with longer seductive text (but not multiple images) significantly outperformed those learning with shorter‐text or no‐seductive‐details in terms of transfer. This study highlights the importance of exploring seductive details in relation to both the format of presentation and the amount of seductive details.

Effects of Emotional Valence and Arousal on Comprehension and Assembly of Instructions

Research on multimedia comprehension from the emotional design perspective has suggested that including graphical elements enhances positive affect and learning. On the other hand, the seductive detail literature found that attractive but irrelevant images can hinder comprehension and learning. The present study has addressed the effect of decorative images with affective properties (valence and arousal) in procedural multimedia comprehension. First, a validation study determined the images’ affective properties; stimuli high or low in both dimensions were systematically introduced in the second experiment, which tested the images’ effect in mean study time when learning the instructions, and accuracy during object assembly. Low arousal images made participants study the instructions faster, and high arousal images led to more errors in performance. Valence did not have a differential effect. Overall, in line with the seductive detail effect, these findings argue against including irrelevant, highly arousing, emotional information in instructional materials.

Decorative animations impair recall and are a source of extraneous cognitive load.

Working memory is critical for learning but has a limited capacity for processing new information in real time. Cognitive load theory is an evidence-based approach to education that seeks to minimize the extraneous (unnecessary) load on working memory to avoid overloading it. The "seductive details effect" postulates that extraneous load can come from instructional design materials that attract interest but are unrelated to, and impair, learning. Presentation packages, such as Microsoft PowerPoint, have built-in decorative animated "GIFs" that are designed to make presentations more visually appealing. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of such "decorative" animations on learning and working memory performance. We found that students were less able to recall content presented in the presence of a decorative but relevant animation compared with a still image. This effect was found with two different topics (human physiology and enzyme kinetics). Compared with still images, students also found it harder to remember animations themselves, and the self-reported mental workload required to remember them was higher. These results show that decorative animations are seductive details and are thus a source of extraneous cognitive load.

The retrieval-enhancing effects of decorative pictures as memory cues in multimedia learning videos and subsequent performance tests.

Many (digital) learning materials are often based on a combination of text and pictures, whereby pictures often only serve a decorative (learning-irrelevant) function. Such decorative pictures were proven as detrimental for learning success. In contrast, research on retrieval cues (also known as memory cues) showed that a visual-semantic connection between the learning information and additional pictures might help to foster later retrieval processes. This experimental series tested if decorative pictures might serve as a retrieval enhancer. For this, four experiments (n₁ = 104, n₂ = 124, n₃ = 161, n₄ = 176) were conducted where a learning video about concepts in marketing was used with and without decorative pictures. In a subsequent learning test (retention and transfer questions) with or without these corresponding decorative pictures, the memory cue effect was examined. Besides, mental load and mental effort, as well as intrinsic motivation were measured. Across all experiments, results showed that the groups with decorative pictures which were only shown in the video performed significantly worse than the other groups (seductive detail effect). Moreover, students with decorative pictures in both the learning and the retrieval phase were found to learn more than groups without decorative pictures (memory cue effect). Significant moderators of this effect were found in the salience of the cues, the associative connection between the cues and the learning information, and the modality of the cues (visual vs. verbal). Results were explained by differences in cognitive and motivational variables. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

Does thinking-aloud affect learning, visual information processing and cognitive load when learning with seductive details as expected from self-regulation perspective?

The present study is a validation study asking the question if the method of using thinking-aloud protocols (TAPs) for investigating learning effects is appropriate, as the process of thinking aloud could play a crucial role in cognitive processing by prompting self-regulative processes and could therefore interfere with learning. The present work uses the negative learning effect of seductive details to investigate this research question and is thereby also offering a new perspective from research on self-regulation on the discussion of the seductive details effect. 120 university students learned with a digital learning program that was varied by the two factors thinking-aloud (with vs. without) and seductive details (with vs. without) in the 2x2 factorial design study. Results show that TAPs affect visual information processing measured by eye movement, subjectively perceived cognitive load, and retention performance, but not comprehension or transfer performance. Moreover, the seductive details effect is confirmed to be stable also under the TAPs condition, as no interaction effects were found. These findings have several interesting theoretical and practical implications that are discussed from three viewpoints, the methodological, the research on seductive details and the self-regulation perspective.

Keep it Coherent: A Meta-Analysis of the Seductive Details Effect

Studies have shown that learners exposed to interesting and irrelevant information, known as seductive details, do not perform as much as those who learned without seductive details. However, findings are mixed in terms of the degree to which seductive details hinder learning. Further research is also needed on how design features of learning materials influence the seductive details effect. This meta-analysis summarizes the seductive details effect and investigates the moderating factors of design and methodology. We also discuss evidence supporting each of the four hypothetical underlying mechanisms for the seductive details effect. Findings show that including seductive details in learning material can hinder learning. Mean effect sizes were moderated by the presence of seductive details, image type used in comparison, delivery format, language, subject, learner pacing, recall question type, and manipulation check approach. We conclude by highlighting limitations in current research, suggesting opportunities for future research, and examining practical implications.

Does high perceptual load assist in reducing the seductive details effect?

Negative effects of seductive details have been well documented. One current line of research focussed on solutions to reducing the seductive details effect is becoming increasingly promising. Contributing to this line of research, this study investigated whether perceptual load moderated the seductive details effect. The study used a 2 × 2 factorial design with seductive details (seductive details vs. no seductive details) and perceptual load (high vs. low) as two independent variables. Participants (N = 123) were randomly assigned to one of four groups to study materials on atomic structure. The dependent measures were tests of free recall and of conceptual understanding. Results indicated that under high perceptual load, participants performed equally on measures of free recall and conceptual understanding, regardless of the seductive details condition. Under low perceptual load, participants not receiving seductive details outperformed those who received seductive details on both dependent measures. These findings suggest that learners are susceptible to the seductive details effect when perceptual load is low. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Seductive Details in the Flipped Classroom: The Impact of Interesting but Educationally Irrelevant Information on Student Learning and Motivation.

In this study, we assessed the impact of providing students with short video clips highlighting the relevance of material they are learning in the genetics classroom to their everyday lives. These interesting but non–learning objective oriented clips, referred to as “seductive details,” have been studied extensively in laboratory contexts. In laboratory studies, seductive details have been shown to actually decrease learning, leading some to recommend that any information not directly pertaining to academic learning outcomes be removed from education materials. We aimed to uncover effects of seductive details in an actual college course, in a manner divorced from the confounding variation introduced by instructor-level differences in personality and lecture styles. Our results show that, in a flipped-classroom environment, seductive details do not harm students’ content attainment, interest, or perceived learning, but they are memorable. Students with high background knowledge of genetics reported greater learning after watching videos containing seductive details than students who watched equivalent videos without seductive details, but there was no difference in quiz scores between the groups. These results contradict some of the major effects observed throughout decades of studies conducted in artificial psychology laboratory environments and highlight possible affective benefits of instructors using seductive details.

Cognitive load in multimedia learning environments: A systematic review

The purpose of this study was to review articles involving cognitive load and multimedia learning between 2015 and 2019 in a systematic way. 94 articles were reviewed in terms of the types of cognitive load, multimedia learning principles, cognitive load measurements, the investigated dependent and independent variables, cognitive processes, the types of multimedia learning environments and the demographic characteristics of the studies. The results revealed that reviewed studies indicated the type of cognitive load seem to have investigated the extraneous cognitive load more frequently. The most studied multimedia learning principles in reviewed articles were modality principle, seductive details effect and signaling/cueing principle respectively. Most reviewed cognitive load studies on multimedia learning were conducted by researchers in Europe, especially in Germany, followed by Asia, America, Australia, and Africa. Research results showed that most cognitive load studies in multimedia learning environments conducted thus far have utilized STEM subjects. Higher education students were the primary participant group in the cognitive load in multimedia learning research as well. There was a tendency to use subjective methods more often than objective methods to measure cognitive load in investigations. In addition to cognitive load, learning, prior knowledge, and motivation were measured most frequently in these studies. In the reviewed studies, multimedia design, material type, presentation format, and individual differences were the most selected focus of research. Research results were interpreted and a number of gaps in cognitive load research relating to multimedia learning were identified.

Static and dynamic seductive illustration effects on text‐and‐graphic learning processes, perceptions, and outcomes: Evidence from eye tracking

SummaryThis study aimed to examine how different forms (still pictures vs. animations) of seductive illustrations impact text‐and‐graphic learning processes, perceptions, and outcomes. An eye‐tracking experiment of three groups (static, dynamic, and control) was conducted with 60 college and graduate students while learning with PowerPoint slides about infant motor development milestones. Prior knowledge, learning performance, learning perception, and visual attention were assessed by achievement tests, self‐rated scales, and eye‐tracking measures. Analysis of variance and t test results showed that, under a low task‐load condition, no seductive details effect was found for learning achievement but was found for learning process and perception. Decreased attention was found in the relevant pictures in both experimental groups. With more deeply and intensively processing on the seductive animations, the dynamic group perceived more distractions than the static group. Lag sequential analysis results revealed different visual transitional patterns for the groups, providing deep understandings about the process of seductive details effects.

Editorial: Harmful or helpful to learning? The impact of seductive details on learning and instruction

SummaryMost previous research found negative effects on learning outcomes when interesting but irrelevant information (i.e., seductive details) is added to an instruction. To what degree such effects are bound to specific conditions is in the focus of this special issue. Specifically, 11 empirical studies are reported within this special issue. They all address the topic of seductive details in learning and instruction by focusing either on cognitive moderators (e.g., working memory capacity and current beliefs) or on noncognitive moderators (e.g., arousal and affect) of the seductive details effect. Taken together, results from the empirical studies hint towards new moderators and suggest that the negative effects of seductive details on learning outcomes may be smaller than expected based on previous research.

The influence of background music on learners with varying extraversion: Seductive detail or beneficial effect?

SummarySeductive details in general affect learning and cognitive load negatively. However, especially background music as a seductive detail may also influence the learner's arousal, whose optimal level depends on the learner's extraversion. Therefore, the effects of extraversion and background music on learning outcomes, cognitive load, and arousal were investigated. We tested 167 high school students and found better transfer outcomes for the group with background music. They also reported higher germane load, but no impact of background music on extraneous cognitive load or arousal was found. In the group without background music, learners with higher extraversion reached better recall scores, which was not found in the group with background music. Results may cautiously be interpreted that there is a beneficial impact of background music that compensates for the disadvantages of low extraverted learners and which cannot be explained through arousal.