The presence of images does not moderate the disfluency effect

NRU Higher School of Economics , 2021. No. 127.

Berezner T., Gorbunova E. S.

The disfluency effect is an improvement in the retention of information if its processing is difficult. Disfluency is usually attained by changing perceptual characteristics, and in the case of texts, fonts are made less legible. The disfluency effect has been demonstrated in several studies, but the number of unsuccessful replications is significantly higher. Among the possible reasons why the disfluency effect often cannot be detected, we consider the influence of other factors acting as moderators. This study examines the presence of images accompanying text information as a moderator. Based on dual-coding theory, we assume that the disfluency effect will manifest itself only when there are no images, since their presence contributes to better memorization. Two experiments were conducted in which information written either in Arial (fluent condition) or Comic Sans (disfluent condition) was presented to participants. The information was also accompanied by images or not. In the first experiment, the participants were asked to memorize 40 short words, in the second 7 fictional facts about the Earth. In both cases, the hypotheses were not confirmed—the disfluency effect did not manifest under any conditions.

Keywords: learning, memory, images, disfluency effect, fonts, desirable difficulties, processing fluency

Publication based on the results of: Solving cognitive tasks in interaction with digital interfaces (2021)