‘Tokenized’ Dynamic Diagrams: An Approach for Improving Mental Model Construction?

Abstract

Novel ‘Compositional’ designs based on the Animation processing Model (APM) allow learners to build mental models of referent content that are superior to those acquired from conventionally-designed animations. Additional gains in the effectiveness of APM-based designs appear feasible if the animation’s external depiction of content was to be better aligned with characteristics of the internal tokens by excising parts of the animation’s constituent graphic entities not central to their functional role. Dynamic inferences would let learners mentally elaborate the resulting fragmentary depiction to produce the required tokens. Implementation of this tokenized design approach are discussed.