Is the Movie Better than the Book? Differences in Engagement and Delayed Recall of Video and Text Cases in Science

In this investigation we assessed whether different formats of media influenced participants’ engagement and recall of narrative cases of people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. For each of the personal case-narratives used in the study, we designed three informationally-equivalent versions: one video, one text, and one video + text. Thirty participants experienced one version in each format, completed a short interview about their reactions to the stories, and completed a survey designed to measure affective and engagement responses to the stories. Participants were again interviewed six weeks later, to gage their memory for the narratives and to gauge potential changes in their perceptions and understandings of the cases. Results indicate that the video and video + text versions of the stories led to higher levels of both engagement and sympathy with the characters, and better recall of information. Implications for the design of instructional materials are discussed.