A redundant redundancy principle? examining the redundancy principle through cognitive load

Bibliographic Data

ID22413409
AuthorsAlejandro Carranza (0009-0004-3506-3172, University of California System, corresponding author), Emma H Geller (0000-0002-6209-6947, University of California System)
Year2026
Pages1-15
Publication date2026-05-29
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEducational Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0144-3410 • E-ISSN: 1469-5820
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01443410.2026.2678483
OpenAlexW7162758073
LanguageEN
References cited36

According to the redundancy principle in multimedia learning, the simultaneous processing of text and verbatim narration can overload working memory during instruction. Effects of the redundancy principle on cognitive load are largely assessed through exam performance. The goal of this paper was to examine the cognitive mechanisms of the redundancy principle through a self-reported measure of cognitive load. Across two studies, participants watched a short educational video with either narration and subtitles, narration only, or subtitles only. We measured three types of cognitive load using a validated self-report scale, as well as learning outcomes on both a retention and transfer test. Results indicate that there was no evidence of a significant redundancy effect for learning. Furthermore, measures of cognitive load showed no significant differences between the three conditions. These findings suggest that the generalizability of the redundancy principle may be more limited than previously assumed.

Cognition · Cognitive Load · Redundancy (engineering) · Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics · Human-Automation Interaction and Safety · Visual and Cognitive Learning Processes

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