Decorative pictures and emotional design in multimedia learning

This study examines four groups of decorative pictures which might be conducive for learning. Eighty-two students were randomly assigned to one cell of a 2 (emotionally positive vs. emotionally negative pictures) × 2 (school context vs. leisure context pictures) between-subjects, factorial design. The dimensions of pleasure, arousal, and dominance are examined as possible mediators. Results show that either positively valenced pictures or learning pictures foster retention and transfer performance. Pleasure is identified as mediator of the effect between valence of pictures and learning performance. A further analysis shows differences for arousal and dominance for both factors. These results are interpreted with concepts like motivated attention and other arousal theories.
Source: Learning and Instruction - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research