edu-tech

Studies in the psychology of learning suggest that the use of audiovisuals in education has several advantages. All learning is based on perception, the process by which the senses gain information from the environment. The higher processes of memory and concept formation cannot occur without prior perception. Persons can attend to only a limited amount of information at a time; their selection and perception of information is influenced by past experiences. Researchers have found that, other conditions being equal, more learning occurs when information is received simultaneously in two modalities (vision and hearing, for example) rather than in a single modality. Furthermore, learning is enhanced when material is organized and that organization is evident to the student.
These findings suggest the value of audiovisuals in the educational process. They can facilitate perception of the most important features, can be carefully organized, and can require the student to use more than one modality.