When two sensory modes are better than one

It is hypothesized that instructional materials that use dual-mode presentation techniques (e.g., auditory text and visual diagrams) can result in superior learning to equivalent, single-modality formats (e.g., visual text and visual diagrams). This modality effect may be attributed to an effective expansion of working memory. The authors explore the effect from a cognitive-load perspective. Using a variety of instructional materials, the authors found in 3 experiments that participants studying materials incorporating audio text and visual diagrams or tables performed better than those studying a conventional, visual-only format. These results were obtained only for instructions with a high intellectual content. In light of these findings, the central role of cognitive load in instructional design is highlighted, and the implications for multimedia instruction are discussed.