HOW DO GRAPHICS EFFECT LEARNING? When considering graphics with text, it is important to identify the role they play in information recall. Duchastel and Waller (1979) provide a set of principles that explain the relationship of graphics to text. Specifically, they identify three role. 

Pictures attract attention, but do they aid learning? 

Pictures naturally attract attention. The right picture -- with the right text -- helps attract the right audience. Being aware of whose attention you are getting will ensure that your text is read, but grabbing peoples' attention is usually not enough to leave them with an understanding of the text. Consider music video, for instance -- how often do the images in the video support the lyrics?

Graphics should be central to text. In this picture, the graphic depicts the main idea of the text. 
 

Jazzy pictures like the fight scene above help draw the eye and gain attention, but well thought out illustrations impart lasting information the reader can take home. A good illustration grabs the reader's attention and helps him or her recall information that is central to the text. In this role, graphics take on meaning that supplements and supports the message in the text.

Graphs, charts and other visuals often express more than words in a shorter time. Use visuals to convey information that would be hard to describe in writing.

Sometimes pictures are really worth a thousand words. Sometimes it is easier to express an idea through a picture. The explicative role suggests that pictures can express ideas better than words in certain situations. Duchastel and Waller concluded that the relationship of graphics and text in learning is most easily defined within this functional role. Images, according to Duchastel and Waller, can be categorized into seven subsections of the explicative role. Each subsection defines how images interact with text.

Many research projects have explored the role of graphics with text. Some focus on the artistic value of graphics, while others focus on the educational value of the grapahics. Moreover, graphics may be sub-categorized into still graphics and animated graphics. Here are some other articles on related topics in the EET:

Chosing the Right Graph

Pictures and Graphics

Using Still and Moving Images for Instruction

Using Pictures to Increase Comprehension

A lot of research has been conducted on graphics within text. Unfortunately, a lot of this research has crossed so many different fields of education and art that few conclusions may be reached. Understanding the framework and principles that Duchastel and Waller describe in their three functional roles of graphics should help in choosing a graphic to place with your text.

Dan Record, Instructional Designer