Knowledge construction with conflicting information from internet-based texts and pictures

近年来，越来越多的科学信息被发布在互联网上。因此，学习者在网上搜索目前公开辩论的科学主题（例如可持续能源的潜力）的信息时，往往会遇到包含不同论点和相互矛盾观点的多个文本。在许多情况下，这并不是因为出版物缺乏质量，而是因为这些主题在科学本身中进行了有争议的讨论，因为科学证据还没有提供一个明确的画面。因此，问题出现了冲突的科学相关信息的通信可以被构造成促进建设一个连贯的参考表示（情境模型）的科学主题。除了学习者的特征会影响这种表征的构建之外，信息的布局和呈现也可能是至关重要的。科学文本中信息表述的一个非常常见的特点是使用图片来形象化定量经验结果（如线形图）或说明文本中的事项（如照片）。在项目实施过程中，对实验数据进行了分析，结果表明，图片被用作评估给定信息可解释性的线索。具体来说，我们发现，现实的图片可以诱导流畅的感觉，这取决于学习者的特点。然而，流畅性效应尚未得到相应的探讨有关图表。因此，我们计划检查的假设，流畅性也介导的效果图的理解冲突的信息。根据学习者的特点，流利性要么导致更肤浅的加工，要么应该被用作精细加工中的可理解性线索。作为第一步，我们计划提供确凿的证据表明，图表有（积极影响）的流畅性的感知在理解有争议的科学文本，通过使用详细的过程分析和实验操纵的决定因素的流畅性。随后，我们将集中讨论的问题，如何流畅的感知，所造成的图表在学习与冲突的科学相关的文本，影响学习的过程和结果。根据学习者的特点，流利性对文本理解有不同的影响：当流利性的感知被解释为关于文本的可理解性线索时，它会产生积极的影响，而当它表明理解错误时，它会产生消极的影响。这些假设将通过适度的中介分析的手段进行调查。

A growing amount of science-related information is recently published on Internet. Therefore, learners searching online for information on scientific topics currently debated in public (for example on the potential of sustainable energy) often come across multiple texts containing different arguments and communicating contradictory points of view. In many cases this is not due to the publications lack of quality but rather arises from the fact that these topics are discussed controversially in science itself, because scientific evidence does not provide a definite picture yet. Thus, the question arises how the communication of conflicting science-related information can be structured to foster the construction of a coherent referential representation (situation model) of a scientific topic. Besides learner characteristics that influence the construction of such a representation, the layout and presentation of the information are likely to be crucial. One characteristic that is very common for the presentation of information in scientific texts is the use of pictures to visualize quantitative empirical results (e.g. line graphs) or to illustrate matters in the text (e.g. photographs). Over the course of the project experimental data were analysed and showed that pictures are used as cues for the assessment of the plausibility of given information. Specifically, we found that realistic pictures can induce a perception of fluency, depending on learner characteristics. However, the fluency effect has not yet been explored accordingly concerning diagrams. Hence, we plan to examine the assumption that fluency also mediates the effect of diagrams on the comprehension of conflicting information. Depending on learner characteristics, fluency should either lead to a more superficial processing or should be used as a plausibility cue in an elaborative processing. As a first step, we plan to provide conclusive evidence that diagrams have a (positive effect) on the perception of fluency during the comprehension of controversial scientific texts by using detailed process analysis and an experimental manipulation of the determinants of fluency. Subsequently, we will focus on the question how perception of fluency, caused by diagrams in learning with conflicting science related texts, affects the process and outcome of learning. Depending on learner characteristics, fluency should have different effects on text comprehension: a positive effect when the perception of fluency is interpreted as a plausibility cue concerning the text and a negative effect when it indicates illusory comprehension. These assumptions will be investigated by the means of moderated mediation analyses.