An Investigation of the New York State Regents Examinations in Science

This study examined the effects of realism on subjects’ recognition memory for computergraphics. Children and adults in six age groups (N = 189) were presented with pictorial computergraphic materials at three levels of realism: low (abstract or schematic—images reduced to simple flat shapes), medium (linear—simple line drawings), and high (realistic—photographic images and detailed drawings). Pictorial content was sampled widely from existing computer materials with each image containing only one pictorial element: person, animal, or object. Recognition memory was tested at immediate and a week’s delay. Recognition of the three kinds of image showed an unusual pattern of decline over time with the initial advantage for realistic and abstract computergraphics disappearing at a week’s delay, while recognition for linear images was superior to that of realistic and abstract. Although recognition memory increased with age, no interaction between age and realism was found. That is, all age groups, 6 years through middle age, retained the linear computergraphics best. Discussion includes interpretations of these findings and their instructional implications.