On the dual processing of spatial-graphic and verbal information

Abstract

This study compared the memorial benefits of knowledge maps and text as a function of the amount of time spent studying. Based on a proposed model, it was hypothesized that knowledge map processing would lead to quicker acquisition of main ideas and detailed information, and that map processing would enhance the accuracy of inference judgments. To test these hypotheses, college students studied either knowledge maps or texts on the nervous system and the immune system for either three, six or nine minutes. They then completed a series of tests over the material. The results of the experiment only partially confirmed the hypotheses. Students who studied knowledge maps acquired more main ideas and detailed information than did students who studied text, regardless of the amount of time they spent studying the displays. However, neither knowledge maps nor texts tended to facilitate the accuracy of inference judgments. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.