| Abstract: | This study examined the effectiveness of three imagery learning strategies for acquiring different outcomes when individuals received visual instructional information varying in visual stimulus complexity. Each of the strategies (copy, relational, and hierarchical) varied in amount of cognitive organization imposed on encoded information during learning. The levels of information to be acquired were: list learning, spatial learning, general concepts, and relational concepts. It was found that the hierarchical strategy was generally more effective in processing the different levels of information than the relational strategy or the copy strategy. The visual complexity variable was presented as a slide-tape-instructional program about the parts and operation of the human heart. The visual types varied from simple (line drawings) to complex (photographs). Analysis yielded a complex relationship between stimulus complexity and strategy. |
