Seductive Details Research Articles

The seductive details in online mathematics learning

The new technologies and multimedia formats have given rise to highly attractive synchronous virtual environments for learning mathematics. However, the cognitive theory of multimedia learning suggests that it is preferable to eliminate seductive information from a multimedia presentation. Nevertheless, it is still unclear whether this effect manifests in ecological situations such as synchronous video conferences. In order to address this gap, two experiments were conducted to examine the effect of instructional, decorative, and seductive images on mathematics learning through synchronous video conferences, for both beginner and advanced students. The first experiment (n = 156) revealed that both materials with instructional graphics and materials without graphics are more efficient (i.e., they generate higher performance with equal mental effort) than materials with seductive graphics. In the second experiment, the moderating role of prior knowledge was analyzed (n = 163), including advanced students in the study. The results suggested that novice students performed better with materials containing instructional and decorative graphics compared to those presenting seductive graphics. However, this disadvantage of learning with seductive graphics disappeared in advanced students. It is concluded that the effectiveness of online mathematics learning depends on the type of graphics used and the level of prior knowledge. These results are discussed from the perspective of cognitive load and multimedia learning, and practical guidelines are provided for teaching and researching online mathematics learning.

Task-irrelevant decorative pictures increase cognitive load during text processing but have no effects on learning or working memory performance: an EEG and eye-tracking study

Decorative pictures (DP) are often used in multimedia task materials and are commonly considered so-called seductive details as they are commonly not task-relevant. Typically, DP result in mixed effects on behavioral performance measures. The current study focused on the effects of DP on the cognitive load during text reading and working memory task performance. The theta and alpha frequency band power of the electroencephalogram (EEG) and pupil dilation served as proxies of cognitive load. The number of fixations, mean fixation durations, and the number of transitions served as proxies of the attentional focus. For both, text reading and n-back working memory tasks, the presence and congruency of DP were manipulated in four task conditions. DP did neither affect behavioral performance nor subjective ratings of emotional–motivational factors. However, in both tasks, DP increased the cognitive load as revealed by the EEG alpha frequency band power and (at least to some extent) by subjective effort ratings. Notably, the EEG alpha frequency band power was a quite reliable and sensitive proxy of cognitive load. Analyzing the EEG data stimulus-locked and fixation-related, the EEG alpha frequency band power revealed a difference in global and local cognitive load. In sum, the current study underlines the feasibility and use of EEG for multimedia research, especially when combined with eye-tracking.

The Impact of a Mobile Learning Application on Students’ Cognitive Load and Learning Performance in Biology

Aim/Purpose: This study aims to analyze the cognitive load experienced by secondary school students in Biology within m-learning environments and its impact on learning performance. Background: Cognitive load has become a critical issue that schools need to address to ensure students can excel in their learning without being overwhelmed. While principles for reducing cognitive load have been extensively discussed in previous research, studies focusing on mobile learning (m-learning) for Biology among students in Malaysia remain limited. This study employed Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) and Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) to address this gap. By integrating four key principles—segmenting and pretraining, modality, redundancy, and seductive details—into m-learning tasks using the Successive Approximation Model (SAM1), this study aimed to reduce cognitive load and enhance students’ learning performance. Methodology: This study employed a quantitative approach using a randomized pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design. Students were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (20 students) or a control group (18 students). The study was conducted over four weeks, comprising a three-week intervention period with a one-week interval. Statistical analyses, including independent t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, Quade ANCOVA, and Pearson correlation, were used to analyze the quantitative data. Qualitative feedback was analyzed using thematic analysis. Contribution: This study contributes by providing instructional design strategies that incorporate principles for reducing cognitive load in mobile learning for Biology. It also demonstrates how Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) and Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) can be effectively integrated. By examining the cognitive load experienced by secondary school students in m-learning environments, the study offers valuable insights for designing and implementing effective instructional strategies. Identifying the factors influencing cognitive load enables educators to develop targeted interventions that enhance learning experiences and optimize performance. Findings: The study indicated that the adoption of mobile learning tasks not only significantly reduced cognitive load but also corresponded to enhanced learning performance. Participants engaging in m-learning experienced lower cognitive load, which was positively associated with superior performance in learning tasks, emphasizing the beneficial impact of mobile learning on cognitive load management and academic achievement. Recommendations for Practitioners: Educators and instructional designers are encouraged to incorporate cognitive load principles into their instructional strategies and learning material design to enhance student performance. Policymakers should consider similar strategies to reduce the cognitive load for students in educational settings to improve learning outcomes. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers are encouraged to replicate the design elements used in this study when developing mobile or online learning materials to reduce learners’ cognitive load and enhance their performance. They should also consider expanding this research to other topics, subjects, and educational levels to provide further insights and validate the effectiveness of these design elements across different contexts. Impact on Society: The findings of this study have significant implications for society, particularly in addressing mental health and stress issues among the younger generation. By identifying strategies to manage cognitive load and reduce stress in online learning environments, the study provides valuable insights for educators, parents, and policymakers. These strategies can help mitigate the adverse effects of cognitive overload, improve learning experiences, and promote better mental well-being. Additionally, the study’s recommendations can guide the development of more effective and supportive learning environments, contributing to overall societal well-being and academic success. Future Research: Future studies could explore cognitive load beyond the intrinsic and extraneous components focused on in this study, examining additional elements within the frameworks of cognitive load theory and multimedia learning. In addition to using the cognitive load questionnaire, exploring other measurement tools could ensure a more comprehensive understanding of cognitive load. Future research might also consider enriching mobile learning tasks by diversifying subject matter and conducting longitudinal cohort studies. Such studies could provide valuable insights into memory retention over extended periods, aiding in optimizing mobile learning frameworks and enhancing educational experiences.

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.

A Review of Seductive Details in Educational Activities Using Electronic Slide Presentations: Derailing the Learning Process.

This review article examines the use of seductive details in nursing education activities. Seductive details are irrelevant images that are placed into educational material. Although seductive details may be found in any type of educational material and at any academic level, this article focuses on the placement of seductive details in electronic slide presentations used in nursing education activities. Educators optimistically place seductive details in educational material to engage learners or provide a momentary break from the presentation. Although engaging the learner is important, educators must use methods that do not derail how the learner's brain remembers information. Added visuals should be relevant to the material needed to be understood. Using seductive details may adversely affect learning by overloading the working memory with extraneous cognitive information, affecting the ability of the learner to create a coherent mental model needed to store a long-term memory. Evidence-based information about seductive detail use is nonexistent in nursing education literature. Professional nurse educators must carefully consider the use of seductive details in electronic slide presentations. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(6):261-267.].

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.

Cognitive Differences in Comprehending Data Visualizations with Seductive Details

Cognitive Differences in Comprehending Data Visualizations with Seductive Details

Effects of decorative pictures on mental processing demands and learning: An EEG and eye-tracking study

Across two experiments, the effects of presenting decorative pictures (DP) alongside texts were assessed with respect to the mental processing demands during reading, learning outcomes, and subjective task experience. DP were thought to function as so-called seductive details. Eye-tracking and the electroencephalogram (EEG) were recorded during reading. Pupil dilation and the EEG theta (4–8 Hz) and alpha (8–13 Hz) frequency band power served as measures of the mental processing demands. Texts on features and habitats of animals served as learning materials. Working memory (WM) load was manipulated as an additional factor during reading. Neither the additional WM load nor DP had significant effects on learning outcomes, albeit in both experiments the increased WM load affected the physiological measures as expected. DP with a few different motifs generally were not very seductive (Experiment 1). DP with more diverse motifs resulted in increased mental processing demands as indicated by the EEG alpha frequency band power (Experiment 2). Subjective task experience was positively affected by the DP present in Experiment 2 as indicated by higher subjective ratings of interestingness, comprehensibility, emotionality, and aesthetical pleasantness when DP were present. In sum, the study indicates that DP with diverse motifs may function as seductive details, increasing mental processing demands without detrimental effects on learning outcomes.

Specific questions during retrieval practice are better for texts containing seductive details

AbstractWe investigated how to optimize the effectiveness of retrieval‐based learning when the instructional text comprises seductive details (i.e., interesting but irrelevant text adjuncts). Specific questions during retrieval practice should help students focus their recall on main ideas—and not on seductive details, which should in turn foster delayed post‐test performance. In this experiment, participants (N = 103) learned from an instructional text about coffee, either with or without seductive details; in subsequent retrieval practice, the participants received either unspecific or specific questions (2 × 2 between‐subjects design). One week later, all participants received a delayed posttest assessing learning outcomes. As expected, when the instructional text comprised seductive details, participants given specific questions during retrieval practice had better learning outcomes than those given an unspecific question. We conclude that retrieval tasks should be aligned with learning materials: more specific retrieval tasks are better for materials including irrelevant information.

Assessing Inferencing Skills in Children Through the Lens of Dynamic Visual Narratives

The lack of research exploring the influence of dynamic visual narratives on inference skills prompted the present study with an aim to profile the inference skills in school children between the ages of 6 years and 9 years 11 months using dynamic visual narratives. A total of 80 participants were considered for the study. An animated story was designed as the dynamic visual narrative stimuli based on which an “inference task” was formulated, which included forced-choice questions and free-response questions. The responses of the forced-choice questions were analyzed quantitatively using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), while the responses from the free-response questions were analyzed qualitatively. The results revealed an increase in inference skills with age, with children using less seductive details, beginning to display inductive inference, and providing multiple inferences. The inference profiles obtained from the study can serve as evidence for the development of bridging inference skills from dynamic visual narratives in children.

Investigating the Effects of Instructional Humor in Multimedia Learning when Humor Pre-Disposition, Prior-Knowledge, and Working Memory are Controlled

This study examined whether instructional humor (IH) was not just another type of seductive detail when covariates such as humor pre-disposition, prior-knowledge, and working memory capacity were controlled. Participants were students (N = 228) from universities who were randomly assigned two stimuli conditions in the classic experimental design. The data analysis involved a MANCOVA in SPSS and ANCOVA in R-WRS2 package (for DVs with non-homogenous variances) to control the covariates. The data from both null hypothesis significance testing and Bayesian factor design analysis showed that the data were in favor of outcomes which demonstrated that although IHCALM was funnier (p < .01) it was not another type of a seductive detail that harmed learning (p > 0.05). It was less interesting (p < .01), yet made the participants more aware of what they did not learn (p < 0.01). The practical and theoretical implications of teaching with IHCALM were also discussed.

Instructional Humour and Cognitive Affective Learning with Multimedia (IHCALM)

While background music and interesting yet irrelevant to the topic adjuncts were found to harm learning (and were classified as seductive detail) in the Cognitive-Affective Theory of Learning with Media model (CATLM), emotionally appealing shapes and color were found to foster learning (and were classified as multimedia with emotional design). However, although humour is used in education during class and has both psychological and physiological benefits, there is no published research about instructional humour (IH) in CATLM to date. The purpose of the current research was to clarify whether IH in CATLM fosters learning, or if it is yet another type of seductive detail. Total of 96 young undergraduate student participants were randomly assigned to watch a stimuli depicting 3D animations of brain cells either with IH (named as IHCALM) or without it (named as NH). All student data regarding mirth duration were measured with cameras, while how funny they found the stimuli, as well as their cognitive load, emotions, motivation, knowledge, and metacognition were all measured with Open Sesame. To test if the IHCALM harms learning, similarity between conditions was analyzed with both Bayesian Factor analysis and null hypothesis testing, which jointly reveal 3 outcomes. Outcome results show that IHCALM does not harms learning, due to being similar with the non-humorous condition. Implications of these findings for education are considered.

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.

Multimedia Design for Learning: An Overview of Reviews With Meta-Meta-Analysis

Multimedia is ubiquitous in 21st-century education. Cognitive load theory and the cognitive theory of multimedia learning both postulate that the quality of multimedia design heavily influences learning. We sought to identify how to best design multimedia and review how well those learning theories held up to meta-analyses. We conducted an overview of systematic reviews that tested the effects of multimedia design on learning or cognitive load. We found 29 reviews including 1,189 studies and 78,177 participants. We found 11 design principles that demonstrated significant, positive, meta-analytic effects on learning and five that significantly improved management of cognitive load. The largest benefits were for captioning second-language videos, temporal/spatial contiguity, and signaling. We also found robust evidence for modality, animation, coherence/removing seductive details, anthropomorphics, segmentation, personalization, pedagogical agents, and verbal redundancy effects. Good design was more important for more complex materials, and in system-paced environments (e.g., lectures) than self-paced ones (e.g., websites). Results supported many tenets of both theories. We highlight a range of evidence-based strategies that could be implemented by educators.

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.