Larger fonts reliably increase both JOLs and memory only under specific boundary conditions: intermediate-to-very-large sizes, unrelated word lists, immediate JOLs, and brief study time¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r? · q3
Currency · newest study 2022 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Larger font sizes reliably increased both JOLs and memory accuracy only when sizes ranged from intermediate to very large, materials were unrelated word lists, JOLs were immediate, and study time was brief. → Chang 2022

Evidence¶

Chang 2022¶

Chang, M., Brainerd, C.J. (2022). Association and dissociation between judgments of learning and memory: A Meta-analysis of the font size effect. Metacognition and Learning. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-021-09287-3

q3 · i? · quant-synthesis · r?

Moderator analyses (univariate and multivariate meta-regressions) identified four boundary conditions. The article states larger fonts "only reliably increased both JOLs and memory accuracy" under these four conditions; no per-moderator effect sizes are printed in the available text.

"larger font sizes only reliably increased both JOLs and memory accuracy (a) when font sizes ranged from intermediate to very large, (b) when study materials were unrelated word lists, (c) when JOLs were solicited immediately after encoding, and (d) when study time was relatively brief."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Larger font sizes produce modestly better memory than smaller font sizes, with a small but significant pooled effect
• JOL-memory dissociation occurs only when font size ranges between very small and intermediate — related
• Larger font sizes produce higher judgments of learning than smaller font sizes, with a small-to-moderate pooled effect — a broader claim this one bears on
• JOLs and memory both increase with font size rather than being completely dissociated — a broader claim this one bears on