The Role of Dynamic Visualizations and Spatial Layout of Static Visualizations for Learning How to Classify Locomotion Patterns

In two studies the effectiveness of dynamic and multiple static visualizations was investigated for a highly perceptual learning task, namely locomotion pattern classification. In Study 1a, seventy-five students viewed either dynamic, staticsequential, or static-simultaneous visualizations. For tasks with intermediate difficulty dynamic visualizations led to better recognition of the locomotion patterns than staticsequential visualizations, but not than static-simultaneous visualizations. To test whether the presentation of the staticsimultaneous visualizations in rows or their permanent visibility was accountable for this effect, three additional static-simultaneous conditions were investigated in Study 1b. Seventy-five students viewed the static-simultaneous visualizations either presented in columns, in matrices, or in circles. The dynamic condition outperformed all three additionally investigated static-simultaneous conditions in the intermediate tasks. Accordingly, for learning how to classify locomotion patterns dynamic visualizations are better suited than most static presentation formats. Nevertheless, presenting static-simultaneous visualizations appropriately can achieve equal results at least for tasks with intermediate difficulty.