Judging a Book by its Cover! Cultural Stereotyping of Interactive Media and its Effect on the Recall of Text Information

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ALVAREZ-TORRES, M.J. & MISHRA, P. (2001). Judging a Book by its Cover! Cultural Stereotyping of Interactive Media and its Effect on the Recall of Text Information. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 10(2), 161-183. Norfolk, VA: AACE.
Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/8414.

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Journal Information

Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia
ISSN 1055-8896
Volume 10, Issue 2, 2001
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)  Norfolk, VA

More Information on JEMH

Authors

MARÍA JOSÉ ALVAREZ-TORRES, PUNYASHLOKE MISHRA, Michigan State University, USA

Abstract

Humans often make assumptions about other people and ste-reotype them based on superficial cues. There is little re-search on whether people categorize computer programs in a similar manner. This study builds on existing research that indicated that people react to interactive media just as they react to other people (Reeves & Nass, 1996). Specifically this study investigated whether ESL students stereotype a multimedia computer tutorial as being native or non-native and how this perception affects the recall of information. Participants worked with two versions of a language tutorial that were identical in all respects except that (a) one program was given an Anglo-Saxon name (Susan) while the other was given a Spanish name (Carmen); (b) one was supposedly programmed in the USA while the other was programmed in Mexico; and (c) one program read out the instructions in a native (i.e., Midwestern) accent while the read out the same instructions in a fluent and clear Spanish accent. The infor-mation on which the participants were tested was presented as just text on a screen that is it was not voiced. Results showed that participants who worked with the native speak-ing computer recalled significantly more information that the participants who worked with the non-native speaking com-puter. The self-reported evaluation showed no significant difference in the perception of credibility. These results seem to indicate that people's responses to interactive media are similar to their responses to other people and are prone to stereotyping as well. Implications for the research and design of educational technology are also discussed.

Keywords

• Educational Technology
• Interaction
• Computers

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