Applying the Contiguity Principle (Book Chapter Review)

In chapter five of e-Learning and the Science of Instruction, the authors address the importance of applying the contiguity principle when designing e-learning (Clark & Mayer, 2016). The contiguity principle states that a graphics and any corresponding text (in either printed or spoken form) should not be improperly separated in terms of space or time from one another (Clark & Mayer, 2016). When corresponding text and graphics are presented together, the learner can devote a greater amount of cognitive resources to understanding the materials (Clark & Mayer, 2016). When the corresponding text and graphics are unnecessarily separated by space or time, the learner must devote more cognitive resources to search for and correlate the materials, leaving less cognitive resources available for actual learning (Clark & Mayer, 2016).

An example of following the contiguity principle in the design of e-learning materials would be to place a corresponding caption immediately next to the related graphic. An example of not following the contiguity principle would be to place a graphic on one page (or screen), and text that explains the graphic either on a second page (or screen) or somewhere else where the separation between the graphics and corresponding text adds unnecessary cognitive load to the learner.

It is important to remember that the contiguity principle applies to both printed words (e.g., captions) and spoken words (e.g., narration) (Clark & Mayer, 2016). Information presented in both formats ought not to be separated from the graphic to which it corresponds. Doing so adds unnecessary cognitive load to the learner and lessens the potential effectiveness of the learning experience.

The effects of failing to follow this principle can be quite evident in the frustrated learner. Frequent turning of pages (if the learning experience is in a printed format) or an unnecessarily clicking back and forth on a computer (if the learning experience is digital) are signature traits of a learning experience failing to follow the contiguity principle.

Studies continue to show the benefit of using multimedia in e-learning (Mayer, 2017). People learn better when instruction contains words and graphics together rather than just words alone (Mayer, 2017). This finding concerning the benefit of using multimedia in e-learning makes the proper use of the contiguity principle even more important. As instructional designers increase the use of multimedia to improve the effectiveness of their learning experiences, care must be taken to adhere to the contiguity principle. By doing so, multimedia-based e-learning will be effective without causing unnecessary cognitive overload.

References

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2016). e-Learning and the Science of Instruction. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Mayer, R. E. (2017). Using multimedia for e-learning. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 403-423.