This study investigated the differential benefit of diagrams as a learning aid for participants of differing ability levels. Diagrams facilitated the acquisition of conceptual knowledge but had no effect on declarative knowledge acquisition. Additionally, diagrams increased metacognitive accuracy. More importantly, the effect on knowledge acquisition and metacognitive accuracy was found to be strongest for participants with low verbal ability. Finally, incorporating diagrams into the training resulted in improved instructional efficiency (i.e., higher level of performance was achieved with less mental effort). Implications for incorporating findings on individual differences into training system design are discussed.
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