The icon effect: Using iconic visual representation to support learners with low prior knowledge (2011)
For the past several years, we have been investigating effective ways to present visual information in computer-based multimedia learning environments, particularly for low prior knowledge learners. Based on the semiotic theory of Peirce (1955) and relevant developmental and educational theory (Deacon, 1997; Homer & Nelson, 2005), we have identified iconic representations as being particularly effective for low prior knowledge learners. In this context, icons are representational signs whose meaning is based on some physical semblance to the object they represent (e.g., using a flame to represent heat). In our work with scientific visualizations, we have found that the addition of iconic representations to simulations supports learners with low prior knowledge in the relevant content area. This “icon effect” is fairly robust, and has been found in a diverse array of learners including Korean middle school students (Lee, Plass & Homer, 2006), American high school students in both rural (Plass et al., 2009; Homer & Plass, 2010) and urban (Homer et al., 2011) settings. Recent research, however, suggests that the icon effect may be mediated by other factors, such as cognitive development (Homer & Plass, 2010). In the current paper, we review the theoretical basis and empirical support for the icon effect. We conclude with an outline for future research and discussion of the practical implication of the icon effect for designing educational materials, including possibilities of faded and adaptive scaffolding to support the broadest range of learners.
Bruce D. Homer is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology in the Learning, Development and Instruction subprogram at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. He is director of the Child Interactive Learning and Development (CHILD) Lab. He is also training director for the Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Research Training (IPoRT) program, and Director of Research at the Consortium for Research and Evaluation of Advanced Technologies in Education (CREATE). Dr. Homer’s research examines the ways in which children acquire and use cultural tools to store and transmit knowledge (e.g., language, literacy, and information technologies), and how these tools transform developmental and learning processes. Of particular interest is how development and learning affect the ways in which mental representations are formed. Dr. Homer’s current research includes work on multimedia learning environments, videogames for learning, and language, cognition and symbolic understanding in children. He has served as consultant for a number of educational projects, including his current work with project UMIGO, which is funded by a US Department of Education Ready to Learn Grant to developing a transmedia curriculum to support young children’s acquisition of math skills. Dr. Homer’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Institute of Educational Sciences, the National Institutes of Health and Microsoft Research. He completed a B.Sc. in Psychology at Dalhousie University, and a M.A. and Ph.D. in Human Development and Applied Psychology at the Ontario Institute for Studies of Education at the University of Toronto.