Decorative pictures in test items show no meaningful effect on performance, time on task, or metacognition compared to text-only items¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · reviewr3·q2
Currency · newest study 2024 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q2 i? Decorative pictures do not significantly affect test-taker performance, time on task, or metacognition compared to text-only conditions. → Schewior 2024
q2 i? Eye-tracking evidence suggests decorative pictures demand little test-taker attention, being rarely and shortly fixated. → Schewior 2024 (2)
Evidence¶
Schewior 2024¶
Schewior, L., & Lindner, M. A. (2024). Revisiting Picture Functions in Multimedia Testing: A Systematic Narrative Review and Taxonomy Extension. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09883-0
q2 · i? · review · r3
Narrative synthesis of twelve studies comparing text-picture conditions with decorative pictures against text-only controls. None found a significant performance effect, supporting the conclusion that "DPs seemed to neither increase nor decrease performance."
"None of these twelve studies found a significant effect of DPs on performance compared to text-only"
Schewior 2024 (2)¶
Schewior, L., & Lindner, M. A. (2024). Revisiting Picture Functions in Multimedia Testing: A Systematic Narrative Review and Taxonomy Extension. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09883-0
q2 · i? · review · r3
Eye-tracking evidence from multiple studies indicates decorative pictures receive minimal visual attention from test-takers, supporting the interpretation that they demand little cognitive engagement rather than acting as seductive details.
"Findings from this and other eye-tracking studies showed, however, that DPs are rarely (Dewolf et al., 2015) and shortly (Strobel et al., 2019; Wang et al., 2022) fixated by test tak ers"
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Representational pictures enhance test-taker enjoyment, response certainty, and reduce rapid-guessing behaviour — related
- Decorative pictures show consistently null effects on elementary schoolers' word problem-solving performance regardless of task characteristics — related
- Related decorative pictures do not enhance transfer performance in either experiment (null results for correctness and metacognitive monitoring) — related
- Informational pictures show contradictory effects on performance and time on task across studies — related
- Representational pictures tend to increase test performance compared to text-only items — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
decorative-pictures-no-effect-mmt |
title |
Decorative pictures in test items show no meaningful effect on performance, time on task, or metacognition compared to text-only items |
description |
Decorative pictures in test items show no meaningful effect on performance, time on task, or metacognition compared to text-only items |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2024 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-21 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
2 — schewior-2024, schewior-2024-2 |
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