The cognitive engineering of memory in educational website design

Jones, Jessica A. and Fitzpatrick, Jill and Chassy, Philippe (2015) The cognitive engineering of memory in educational website design. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 2. pp. 115-121. ISSN 2055-0286

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Abstract

The ability to recall items from memory is often vital, whether for remembering a phone number, or when sitting an examination. Memory also affects our aesthetical judgements of objects, and the ways in which we perceive such objects as complex or simple. The role of memory likewise extends to our interactions with computer technology; influencing our overall experience of websites, the processing of information provided by websites and thus the quality of our learning processes. For many people, the internet is their primary source of information, and hence websites designed to facilitate learning should be designed in line with the cognitive architecture of the user. This paper exposes the main components of human memory, outlining its limits. We then consider the role of three memory-related factors: prototypicality, visual complexity, and aesthetics, on the user’s interaction with a website. A key point of the present article is that websites should be designed with consideration to the constraints of human memory. Finally, we emphasise how such limits should be respected, and how effectively capitalising on the memory structure of the user should aid efficient learning.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information and Comments:	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)
Keywords:	Human computer interactions, Aesthetic, Memory
Faculty / Department:	Faculty of Human and Digital Sciences > School of Psychology
Depositing User:	Philippe Chassy
Date Deposited:	10 Jul 2015 14:38
Last Modified:	22 Sep 2016 15:46
URI:	https://hira.hope.ac.uk/id/eprint/451

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