If information is displayed for a fixed amount of time, it is usually presented continuously rather than intermittently. Although there is some literature to support this practice, it is scarce. This paper suggests that a continuous display is optimal in certain instances only, while in other cases, repeated presentations of the same information leads to a higher retention rate. The paper also proposes an equation relating the number of items reported to the total time the information is displayed and to the number of presentations. To reconcile the apparent contradictionin optimal methods of presentation, the paper identifies three stages in the processing of visually presented information.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
HaberR.HershensonM.Effects of repeated brief exposures on the growth of a percept. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1965, 69, 40–46.
2.
HaysW.Statistics.New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1965.
3.
HeplerS.A study of the retention of items in a repeated-presentation task. Unpublished masters thesis, The Ohio State University, 1971.
4.
MurdockB.The immediate retention of unrelated words. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1960, 60, 222–234.
5.
SperlingG.The information available in brief visual presentations. Psychological Monographs, 1960, 74 (Whole No. 11).
