| A variety of media are used in undergraduate psychology education---from the traditional text materials to videos. Research has identified multimedia materials, those that convey information through words and pictures, as particularly helpful for learning (e.g., Mayer, 1989; Mayer & Anderson, 1991), but it is not clear in what context multimedia are superior over single-medium materials. It is also unclear how experiences with all media can be supported to ensure learners understand the relevant information conveyed. The wide range of multimedia materials available and the unique nature of different content within psychology create a complex issue worthy of more research. The first two studies discussed herein use videos commonly used in Introduction to Psychology courses and compare learning outcomes of those videos as compared to their single-medium formats. The second study also investigates the impact of instructional support (i.e., advance organizers) on learning outcomes for each medium. The third study focuses on a different type of video used in Introduction to Psychology courses and examines the impact of two instructional supports (i.e., advance organizers and guidance embedded in the video) on learning outcomes. Findings suggest students perform well when taught through multimedia as well as single-medium formats for both retention and application instructional goals. However, advance organizers that emphasize key concepts and encourage note-taking prove to be particularly helpful for instruction that is in audio-only or text-only formats. Implications for media use and design in psychology instruction are discussed. |
