Yu Shuyu, Tian Lianghao, Wang Guohua, Nie Shengxin
School of Educational Technology, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, China.
School of Educational Technology, Faculty of Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China.
Front Psychol. 2024 Sep 19;15:1401005. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1401005. eCollection 2024.
The open and generative nature of multimedia learning environments tends to cause cognitive overload in learners, and cognitive load is difficult for researchers to observe objectively because of its implicit and complex nature. Event-related potentials (ERP), a method of studying potential changes associated with specific events or stimuli by recording the electroencephalogram (EEG), has become an important method of measuring cognitive load in cognitive psychology. Although many studies have relied on ERP output measurements to compare different levels of cognitive load in multimedia learning, the results of the effect of cognitive load on ERP have been inconsistent. In this study, we used a meta-analysis of evidence-based research to quantitatively analyze 17 experimental studies to quantitatively evaluate which ERP component (amplitude) is most sensitive to cognitive load. Forty five effect sizes from 26 studies involving 360 participants were calculated. (1) The results of the studies analyzed in subgroups indicated high level effect sizes for P300 and P200 (2) Analyses of moderating variables for signal acquisition did not find that different methods of signal acquisition had a significant effect on the measurement of cognitive load (3) Analyses of moderating variables for task design found that a task system with feedback was more convenient for the measurement of cognitive load, and that designing for 3 levels of cognitive load was more convenient for the measurement of cognitive load than for 2 levels of cognitive load. (4) Analyses of continuous moderating variables for subject characteristics did not find significant effects of age, gender, or sample size on the results.
多媒体学习环境的开放性和生成性往往会导致学习者出现认知过载，而由于认知负荷具有隐性和复杂性，研究人员很难对其进行客观观察。事件相关电位（ERP）是一种通过记录脑电图（EEG）来研究与特定事件或刺激相关的电位变化的方法，已成为认知心理学中测量认知负荷的重要方法。尽管许多研究依靠ERP输出测量来比较多媒体学习中不同水平的认知负荷，但认知负荷对ERP影响的结果并不一致。在本研究中，我们采用基于证据的研究的元分析方法，对17项实验研究进行定量分析，以定量评估哪种ERP成分（振幅）对认知负荷最敏感。计算了来自26项研究、涉及360名参与者的45个效应量。（1）亚组分析的研究结果表明，P300和P200的效应量较高。（2）信号采集调节变量的分析未发现不同的信号采集方法对认知负荷测量有显著影响。（3）任务设计调节变量的分析发现，有反馈的任务系统更便于认知负荷的测量，且设计3个认知负荷水平比2个认知负荷水平更便于认知负荷的测量。（4）受试者特征连续调节变量的分析未发现年龄、性别或样本量对结果有显著影响。
