An Investigation of elaboration

1
An Investigation of elaboration selective
Scanning as Mediators of learning from the web
versus print

• Presented by Lorraine Ip
• William P. Eveland, Jr and Sharon Dunwoody

2
Introduction

• Stepping into 21st century, traditional print and
  broadcast media outlets have rushed to the Web.
• The Web is a networked implementation of a
  technology called hypermedia.

3
Difference in learning from Web compared to
tradition print media

• The Web is unique in that it facilitates an
  alternative organizational structure

• WEB
• Node Link
• Out of order
• Non-linear

• PRINT
• Index
• Single order
• Linear

4
Case Study --- Sundar and colleagues

• To examine memory from print and online version
  of newspaper article and corresponding
  advertisements.
• Findings
• No significantly differences in memory for the
  news between two media.
• Significantly better memory for advertisements in
  the print then online conditions.

5
Case Study --- Tewksbury and Althaus

• Group of college students to either the New York
  Times online or a print version of the New York
  Times over a week.
• Findings
• New York Times online contained more stories than
  the print version.
• The manner in which online news is structured.
• Depth of understanding was better for print
  subjects than Web subjects.

6
Case Study --- Eveland and Dunwoody

• To examine recognition and cued recall across
  four different versions of a magazine article.
• To compare learning, holding content constant,
  from a traditional print version and three Web
  versions (linear, non-linear, and advisement).
• Findings
• Learning took place regardless of the media and
  Web design.
• Significantly reductions in learning in the
  linear and non-linear Web condition compared to
  print.

7
Is Hypermedia superior to traditional print for
learning?

• User Control
• Individuals learn in somewhat idiosyncratic ways.
  Since an individuals knowledge structure is
  unique, based upon his or her own set of
  experiences and abilities, the ways that
  individuals prefer to access, interact with, and
  interrelate information is also distinct.
• Hypermedia, is presumed by user control theory,
  enable the user to determine the pace, order and
  content of information presented. Individuals
  can create the learning environment most suited
  for them.

8
Is Hypermedia superior to traditional print for
learning?

• Structural Isomorphism
• The Human mind works through a network of
  associative connections in which related bits of
  information are connected to one another.
• Web use encourages individuals to make mental
  connections to a greater extend that traditional
  print.

9
Hypotheses

• Content Knowledge should be greater among Web
  users than traditional print users.
• Selective scanning will be greater among Web
  users than traditional print users.
• Selective scanning will be negatively related to
  content knowledge.
• Elaboration will be greater among Web users than
  traditional print user.
• Elaboration will be positively related to content
  knowledge.

10
Hypotheses
11
Procedures

• Individuals were randomly assigned to one of two
  conditions Web or Print.
• The story selected for this experiment was a
  combination of text, photographs, and graphics.
• The Web version of the story was development to
  represent a with non-linear navigation and
  offering advisement.
• The print condition was created by organizing the
  Web version into a single, linear document.

12
Results

• The results of the study most strongly supported
  Structural Isomorphism theory and they were
  inconsistent with the traditional predictions of
  Web superiority derived from User Control theory.
• Consistent with Structural Isomorphism theory,
  Web use actually increased elaboration compared
  to print, and elaboration was positively related
  to learning, supporting hypotheses 4 and 5.
• Hypotheses 1 to 3 were not supported. The
  increased selective scanning by user control is
  actually decreased learning.

13
4. Elaboration will be greater among Web users
than traditional print user.5. Elaboration will
be positively related to content knowledge.

• Consistent with Structural Isomorphism theory,
  Web use actually increased elaboration compared
  to print, and elaboration was positively related
  to learning, supporting hypotheses 4 and 5.
• Hypotheses 1 to 3 were not supported. The
  increased selective scanning by user control is
  actually decreased learning.

14
1. Content Knowledge should be greater among Web
users than traditional print users.2. Selective
scanning will be greater among Web users than
traditional print users.3. Selective scanning
will be negatively related to content knowledge.

• Hypotheses 1 was not supported. While The
  Hypotheses 2 3 were supported increased
  selective scanning by user control is actually
  decreased learning.

15
Conclusions

• The tendency of the Web to increase selective
  scanning was found to be greater than the
  tendency of the Web to increase elaboration, in
  conjunction with the non-significant tendency for
  a controlled main effect favoring print, the net
  total effect of the Web is actually to reduce
  learning compare to print presentation.
• Web better as a system of information delivery
  can be used to influence information processing
  and increase learning compare to traditional
  print. However, this ability is outweighed bu
  the habit of individuals.