Metacognition in self-regulated multimedia learning: integrating behavioural, psychophysiological and introspective measures

Abstract

This study aims at investigating students’ strategies – as revealed by behavioural, psychophysiological and introspective measures – which are applied during the free exploration of multimedia instructional presentations, which requires students to self-regulate their learning processes. Two multimedia presentations were constructed and presented to a sample of 20 undergraduates in two conditions: written text + pictures vs. audio text + pictures. While students were engaged in the study of the presentations, their eye movements were registered and psychophysiological indices were monitored. Students’ learning outcomes were assessed and a questionnaire was employed to record students’ awareness of the mental processes involved in the task. Results showed that students were able to discriminate between the written- and audio-text conditions and self-regulate their behaviour accordingly. A model, assuming psychophysiological indices as predictors of different eye-movement patterns, highlighted significant differences between the written- and the audio-text conditions. A regression model, considering learning outcomes as a dependent variable, showed that the number of correct responses could be predicted according to the level of cognitive effort needed during the exploration of the multimedia presentations.

Keywords:

• multimedia learning
• self-regulation
• metacognition
• eye movements
• biofeedback

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alessandro Antonietti

Alessandro Antonietti is full professor of Cognitive Psychology and head of the Department of Psychology at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milano (Italy). He carried out experimental studies about creativity, problem-solving, decision-making, mental imagery, and analogy. He is interested in the applications of cognitive issues in the field of instruction and rehabilitation. He devised tests to assess thinking skills and programmes to train cognitive abilities.

Barbara Colombo

Barbara Colombo is Assistant Professor in Cognitive Psychology at the Faculty of Psychology of Catholic University. Her main research areas are related to multimedia, creative thinking, empowerment of cognitive skills, music psychology. She devised several trainings for the empowerment of specific life skills for both children and adults. Her experimental researches are carried on also using the recording of eye movements (eye tracker technologies), psycho-physiological indices (biofeedback), and brain stimulation (TMS and tDCS).

Chiara Di Nuzzo

Chiara Di Nuzzo is a Ph.D. Candidate in Cognitive Psychology at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart of Milan, Italy. Her main interests are related to the use of multimodality and brain stimulation in empowerment and rehabilitation. She is also interested in learning assessment using neuropsychological tools.