====== The Modality Principle ======


===== Theory =====

**The modality principle**((Tindall-Ford, S., Chandler, P. and Sweller, J. When two sensory modes are better than one. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 3(4), 257-287. 1997.)) claims that learning will be enhanced if presenting textual information in an auditory format, rather than in visual format, when it is accompanied with other visual information like a graph, diagram or animation.(([[http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959475205000459|Ginns, Paul. Meta-analysis of the modality effect. Learning and Instruction 15, no. 4: 313-331. August 2005.]]))

The idea for this principle comes from Baddeley's [[:memory_models:Human_Working_Memory|working memory model]] in which information can be retrieved simultaneously through two channels: verbal and visual. **Using both channels can enhance learning** since spoken text then occupies only verbal channel leaving visual channel free to process other visual information.


===== Practice =====

The modality principle suggests **texts** should be presented **in audio format** (in case it is accompanied with other visual information). 


===== Research status =====

A recent meta-research has examined results of 43 studies and confirmed that(([[http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959475205000459|Ginns, Paul. Meta-analysis of the modality effect. Learning and Instruction 15, no. 4: 313-331. August 2005.]])):

  * Modality effect can be used to enhance learning
  * Strength of the modality effect is moderated by the **level of element interactivity** of the materials.
  * Strength of the modality effect is moderated by the **presentation pacing**: effect is stronger for system-paced materials, and weaker for self-paced materials((See also: [[http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2009.00335.x/abstract|Witteman, M.J., and E. Segers. The modality effect tested in children in a user-paced multimedia environment. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 26, no. 2: 132-142. 2010.]])).