Compositional design of animation improves relational processing of complex dynamics: evidence from an eye movement based relational index

Learners have difficulty in decomposing conventionally designed animations to obtain raw material suitable for building high quality mental models. A composition approach to designing animations based on the Animation Processing Model was developed as a principled alternative to prevailing approaches. It provides learners with pre-decomposed material that is structured and sequenced to facilitate the relation building required for effective mental model construction. Study of a compositional animation that presented material in a contiguous fashion resulted in higher quality mental models of a piano mechanism than non-contiguous or control (conventional) versions. Relation building required to link pre-decomposed material was investigated with eye movements data analysis: a relational index measure was devised and used to asses mental model construction. This relational index showed that the compositional animation led to superior mental models because it particularly fostered relational processing.