The Effect of Color Enhancement on Knowledge Map Processing

The purpose of this experiment was to examine the effect of knowledge maps and color enhancement on the recall of text information. Although researchers have found both methods to be effective for increasing acquisition of materials, the two methods have not been combined. College students studied a 1,500-word text passage on the autonomic nervous system in the form of a knowledge map or traditional text. Within each of these groups, half of the students studied color-enhanced material and half studied black-and-white materials. Although those in the map group recalled more than their traditional text counterparts did for both color-enhanced and black-and-white materials, the effect was not significant. This finding, which is inconsistent with previous research, may have been due to subject matter or structural differences in the maps or to the overwhelming effect of color enhancement. On the other hand, consistent with expectations and past research, those who studied color-enhanced materials recalled significantly more than those who studied black-and-white materials across both map and traditional text groups. Thus, it appears that color enhancement can be a powerful tool for increasing acquisition of textual information presented via a knowledge map or a more traditional format.