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Martina Mauch

[Person] [Project]

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Martina Mauch, Dipl.-Psych.

Short Vita

1993-1999:

Study of Psychology at the Technical University of Berlin (Germany).

1999:

Graduation in Psychology at the Technical University of Berlin (Germany). Thesis: "Ursachen der Distanz von Frauen zum Computer: Ein Experiment zum Einfluß des Geschlechtsrollenschemas auf Einstellungen zum Computer und Informationssuchverhalten im Internet". [Reasons of female computer distance: An experimental study testing the influence of the sex-role schema on attitudes towards the computer and information search in the internet]

February-October 2000:

PhD-student of the VGK (with scholarship)

since November 2000:

Research assistant at the Department of Educational Psychology, Institute of Psychology at the Technical University Berlin

Contact

Phone: ++49 (0) 30 / 314 25287
FAX: ++49 (0) 30 / 314 25996
email: Mauch@gp.tu-berlin.de

Technical University Berlin
Institute of Psychology
Department of Educational Psycholgy
Franklinstr. 5-7
D-10587 Berlin (Germany)

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Ph.D. Project

Topic:  Information extraction during knowledge acquisition with animations

Supervisors: Prof. Dr. P. Reimann (Heidelberg)

Start/End of the Ph.D. project: February - October 2000

Summary

Nowadays, computer animations are increasingly integrated in computer-based learning environments. Not only are they used for decorative functions, but also they should support the learner during knowledge acquisition (Mayer, 1993).

On the one hand compared with static pictures, animations contain more information which can be used by the learner for increasing his learning performance. On the other hand the information variety and the handling of animations can consume cognitive resources of the learner. This can interfere with the actual learning process (Issing and Strzebkowski, 1995). Apart from a potential reduction of cognitive resources, the quantity and variety of information often leads to a superficial information processing (Lewalter, 1997). Pivotal for this thesis project is the tendency of novices to extract inadequate information from animations which are used for building up a mental model. Consequently, they often develop an inadequate understanding of the domain. Results of a study conducted by Lowe (1999) show that students extracted rather irrelevant but salient information from dynamic pictures as opposed to relevant but less salient information for building a satisfactory mental model of the represented domain.

The role of information extraction during picture comprehension seems to play a major role within knowledge acquisition. For knowledge acquisition, it is relevant that a presented picture is not only perceived but also understood. Cognitive psychology states that during picture comprehension the recipient forms multiple mental representations. The learner creates both a mental model and a propositional representation (Schnotz, 1997).

Central questions for an understanding of knowledge acquisition via animations are:

• Which type of information is relevant for understanding animations?
• How should information be arranged so that relevant information units are highlighted for the learner?

If one regards animations as a temporal sequence of separate pictures, it becomes clear that it is a question of a comparison process between changing information units. This comparison process will be examined with the help of the structural alignment theory by Markman & Gentner (1996).

The central idea of the structural alignment theory is that a comparison process of similar structures determines which role information units play in a relational system of objects and features. This comparison process between information units highlights commonalities and two types of differences, called alignable and nonalignable differences. With the comparison process, only those commonalities between objects are highlighted that form a connected relational system. Commonalities between other objects, which are not connected with the relational system, draw back in their importance. Beyond that, alignable differences are connected with the relational system. Nonalignable differences are differences, which appear in one situation, but find no correspondence in another situation.

An important question is to clarify how commonalities and differences in animations attain relevance through the information extraction process. Furthermore, reflections and analysis should show how commonalities and differences must be represented within a relational system in order to highlight relevant aspects for the understanding process. The causality in animations should also be considered.

The thesis project will investigate the learning from animations done by novices and experts in a certain domain. One question is how relevant information is derived from the comparison process of pictures that form animations. Additionally, these derived information units from commonalities and differences will be analysed. After that, modified animations will be created in which the important aspects from the analysis will be integrated. Finally, an experimental investigation should show that the consideration of appropriate information aspects in animations promotes their understanding.

References:

Issing, L. J., & Strzebkowski, R. (1995). Lehren und Lernen mit Multimedia. Medienpsychologie, 7(4), 286-319.

Lewalter, D. (1997). Kognitive Informationsverarbeitung beim Lernen mit computerpräsentierten statischen und dynamischen Illustrationen. Unterrichtswissenschaft, 25(3), 207-222.

Lowe, R. K. (1999). Extrating information from an animation during complex visual learning. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 14(2), 225-244.

Markman, A. B., & Gentner, D. (1996). Commonalities and differences in similarity comparisons. Memory & Cognition, 24(2), 235-249.

Mayer, R. E. (1993). Illustrations That Instruct. In R. Glaser (Ed.), Advances in instructional psychology (Vol. 4, pp. 253-284). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Schnotz, W. (1997). Wissenserwerb mit Diagrammen und Texten. In L. J. Issing & P. I. Klimsa (Eds.), Informationen und Lernen mit Multimedia (2. ed., pp. 85-105). Weinheim: Beltz.

Publications

Mauch, M. & Thußbas, T. (2000). Geschlechtsrollenschema und Computereinstellung: Ist das feminine Geschlechtsrollenschema Ursache der Computerdistanz von Frauen? Zeitschrift für Frauenforschung, 146-162.

Mauch, M. (1999). Das Geschlechtsrollenschema als Ursache für die Computerdistanz bei Frauen. E. Schröger, A. Mecklinger & A. Widmann (Hrsg.), Beiträge zur 41. Tagung experimentell arbeitender Psychologen in Leipzig (S.109-110). Leipzig: Pabst Science Publishers. 

Mauch, M. (1999). Ursachen der Distanz von Frauen zum Computer: Ein Experiment zum Einfluß des Geschlechtsrollenschemas auf Einstellungen zum Computer und Informationssuchverhalten im Internet. Unveröffentlichte Diplomarbeit, Technische Universität Berlin. 

Mühlbach, L., Böcker, M. & Mauch, M. (1996). Bericht über die Begutachtung verschiedener touristischer Online-Systeme im Btx und WWW. Unveröffentlichter Projektbericht, Heinrich- Hertz-Institut für Nachrichtentechnik Berlin GmbH. 

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Last update: 5 Dec 2002, Erik Ründal
URL: www.vgk.de/projects/mauch/index.html