The Research Of Effectiveness Of Modality Effect In Elderly Multimedia Learning

Along with the rapid development of computer technology and information communication technology, the application of multimedia teaching is more and more extensive, and multimedia designers has been committed to the best presentation of multimedia information. Modality effect is an important principle of multimedia design; it is learn to better to use dual-channel (audio-visual) presentation than single-channel (visual or auditory) presentation in multimedia learning. At the same time, with the advent of the aging society, it is taking more and more attention to the elderly education, the existing multimedia instructional design principles can promote the learning effect of the elderly? This study based on the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, Cognitive Load Theory and Cognitive Aging Theory, discussing the effectiveness of modality effect in elderly multimedia learning.There are two experiments in present study with the materials on the process lighting formation in experiment Ⅰ, the process of lunar eclipse and blood circulation in experiment Ⅱ. Participants were the students of an elderly university and university students of second-year In experiment I, we employer a between-subject design,2(age:the old group vs. younger group) x2(presentation mode: single channel vs. dual channel). In experiment Ⅱ, we employed a mixed design,2(learning materials difficulty:easy vs. complex)×2(presentation mode:single channel vs. dual channel), and presentation mode is between-subject design, the learning materials difficulty is within-subject design. The dependent variable was learning effect (retention test and transfer test) and the indirect evaluation of cognitive load (mental efforts and material difficulty evaluation), the control variables were work memory capacity and prior knowledge of participants. From the experiments we got the followingconclusion:1. The working memory capacity in the elderly group was significantly lower than that in young group, and the processing speed of the elderly group was significantly slower than the young group.2. The retention test, transfer test, mental efforts and material difficulty evaluation of the two age groups in learning Medium multimedia material were significantly different in the two different presentations. Modality effect exists in multimedia learning of elderly and young, and academic performance of the elderly group within dual-channel presentation more obvious than that in the young group.3. The effect of retention test and material difficulty evaluation of the elderly group in learning easy materials was significantly different in the two different presentation conditions. The effect of transfer test and mental efforts evaluation has no significantly different in the two different presentation conditions.4. The mental efforts evaluation of the elderly group has significant difference on learning complex materials in the two different presentation conditions. The effect of retention test, transfer test and material difficulty evaluation has no significantly different in the two different presentation conditions.