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Visualizations during arithmetic tasks hamper performance and increase cognitive load in 9-year-olds: an fNIRS study.

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Visual aids unexpectedly increased cognitive load in 9-year-old children during arithmetic tasks, leading to more errors and slower responses. This challenges assumptions about their educational benefits.

Keywords:
arithmeticcognitive loadfNIRSincrease working memory loadpictorial problemtext-basedvisual aidword problem

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Educational Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Previous research presents conflicting findings on the impact of visual aids on cognitive load during learning.
  • Understanding cognitive load is crucial for optimizing educational strategies and learning outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of visual aids on cognitive load in 9-year-old children performing arithmetic tasks.
  • To differentiate the impact of relevant visual aids versus irrelevant visual information on cognitive load.

Main Methods:

  • Employed behavioral measures (errors, response time) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to assess cognitive load.
  • Children (N=81) completed arithmetic tasks under varying conditions: text-only, with visual aids, and with irrelevant visual information, across low and high cognitive load levels.

Main Results:

  • Tasks with visual aids led to significantly more errors and slower response times compared to text-based tasks.
  • Increased functional activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) was observed with visual aids, indicating higher cognitive load.
  • Irrelevant visual information slowed response times but did not significantly impact error rates compared to text-based tasks.

Conclusions:

  • Contrary to the hypothesis, visual aids appear to increase, rather than decrease, cognitive load in this context.
  • Findings highlight the importance of carefully considering the design and relevance of visual aids in educational settings.
  • The study underscores the need to refine theories of cognitive load, particularly regarding intrinsic versus extraneous load and necessary controls in research.