Differences in EEG power and coherence measures related to the type of presentation: Text versus multimedia

Abstract

This study investigated the cognitive processes of students while learning physics using EEG methodology. Forty students (20 experts, and 20 novices in the domain of physics) learned material presented by text and in a computer supported multimedia format while their EEG was recorded. Alpha power measures which are inversely related to mental effort as well as coherence measures that provide information about the cooperation between brain areas were analyzed. The results taken altogether suggest that learning the multimedia lessons was rather demanding, yet provoked less transfer of information between brain areas and had no beneficial influence on the amount of learned material. Another finding was that experts in the domain of physics learned more than did novices, regardless of the type of presentation. EEG patterns differed mainly in the lower alpha band, thus pointing to the superior control of attentional processes in experts.