Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning

Mayer, R. (2005). Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning. In R. Mayer (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology, pp. 31-48). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511816819.004.

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Abstract

A fundamental hypothesis underlying research on multimedia learning is that multimedia instructional messages that are designed in light of how the human mind works are more likely to lead to meaningful learning than those that are not. The cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML) is based on three cognitive science principles of learning: the human information processing system includes dual channels for visual/pictorial and auditory/verbal processing (i.e., dual-channels assumption); each channel has limited capacity for processing (i.e., limited capacity assumption); and active learning entails carrying out a coordinated set of cognitive processes during learning (i.e., active processing assumption). The cognitive theory of multimedia learning specifies five cognitive processes in multimedia learning: selecting relevant words from the presented text or narration, selecting relevant images from the presented illustrations, organizing the selected words into a coherent verbal representation, organizing selected images into a coherent pictorial representation, and integrating the pictorial and verbal representations and prior knowledge. Multimedia instructional messages should be designed to prime these processes.

Annotation

This chapter examines Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning theory (CTML) in detail, including an historical overview, a comparison with other related theories, and recommendations for future research. CTML provides empirical guidelines for the more effective design of multimedia instruction and is based on Mayer’s underlying multimedia principle, which simply states that people learn more deeply from words and pictures than words alone. According to the theory, the human information processing system contains two channels for processing information that function differently- visual and auditory, and each has a limited capacity for processing. By drawing on cognitive theories of how the human mind works when designing multimedia instructional videos, deeper learning can occur.