Search

Two experimental studies were carried out to investigate whether adding multimedia features in a concept mapping task would improve the quality of the map built by students and promote more effective learning with expository hypertexts. Ninety-Nine undergraduates built a concept map to learn about a topic (water cycle or nitrogen cycle) either with a text-based or with a multimedia presentation of concepts (i.e. concepts were presented as textual labels illustrated with relevant pictures). Multimedia presentation of concepts was expected to foster the construction of a more elaborate concept map, to increase information processing and to improve learning outcome. Results of the two experiments were consistent by showing that multimedia presentation led learners to spend more time building the concept map and to build more coherent maps (i.e. text-based inter-connected concepts). In addition, experiment 2 showed that the multimedia presentation of concepts in concept mapping could also foster deeper exploration of the hypertext. However, learning outcomes were not affected by the learning conditions.

This study investigates how a search interface that displays users' ultimate query (i.e. users' current search goal) can cope with the age-related decrease of fluid abilities and support older users' search behaviours. 30 young and 18 older adults completed 9 search problems with a regular web browser or with the experimental search interface. Results showed that older adults spent longer time on the search engine result pages, they needed more time to reformulate, and they had more difficulties exploring the search paths elaborated. Age-differences also appeared as soon as the beginning of the search. The support tool helped older users reformulate their queries more rapidly and elaborate more flexible search strategies at the beginning of the activity. Indeed, older adults who interacted with the support tool switched to the processing of a new search path more rapidly instead of exploiting their initial query (i.e. they visited fewer websites for the initial query produced and reformulated a query instead of keeping on conducting a deeper investigation of the search results provided in the search engine result page). Implications of these findings for the design of effective support tools for older users are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]