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The More, the Worse? The Influence of the Seductive Detail Amount on Learning

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Title: The More, the Worse? The Influence of the Seductive Detail Amount on Learning
Language: English
Authors: Lukas Wesenberg (ORCID 0000-0002-2390-1536), Sebastian Jansen, Felix Krieglstein, Felicia Meusel, Sascha Schneider, Georg Valtin, Günter Daniel Rey
Source: Instructional Science: An International Journal of the Learning Sciences. 2026 54(1).
Availability: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 30
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Learning, Text Structure, Recall (Psychology)
DOI: 10.1007/s11251-026-09781-8
ISSN: 0020-4277
1573-1952
Abstract: Seductive details, which are interesting but irrelevant digressions included in a learning environment (e.g., fun facts), have been shown to impair the learning performance of students. However, to date, it is unclear whether the amount of seductive detail content is crucial for the extent of this detrimental effect, or whether it is more a phenomenon of presence or absence, as other studies have been inconclusive in this regard. Hence, in the present studies (N = 191 and N = 101), learners were presented with a varying amount of seductive detail content embedded within a learning text. Instead, the number of text interruptions by seductive content was kept constant between conditions. Both studies consistently showed a linear negative effect of the seductive detail amount on recall performance. Furthermore, Study 2 indicated a polynomial trend regarding transfer performance, suggesting that small seductive detail amounts could improve transfer, even though cross-validation showed that this model is rather unstable. Prior knowledge and working memory capacity did not significantly attenuate the seductive details effect. The results imply that the extent of the seductive detail effect is dependent on the amount of seductive detail content presented. Especially the inclusion of large amounts of digressions should be avoided by teachers and instructional designers, while the inclusion of small amounts might have rather negligible effects.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1508784
Database: ERIC
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lukas+Wesenberg%22">Lukas Wesenberg</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2390-1536">0000-0002-2390-1536</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sebastian+Jansen%22">Sebastian Jansen</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Felix+Krieglstein%22">Felix Krieglstein</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Felicia+Meusel%22">Felicia Meusel</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sascha+Schneider%22">Sascha Schneider</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Georg+Valtin%22">Georg Valtin</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Günter+Daniel+Rey%22">Günter Daniel Rey</searchLink>
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  Data: Seductive details, which are interesting but irrelevant digressions included in a learning environment (e.g., fun facts), have been shown to impair the learning performance of students. However, to date, it is unclear whether the amount of seductive detail content is crucial for the extent of this detrimental effect, or whether it is more a phenomenon of presence or absence, as other studies have been inconclusive in this regard. Hence, in the present studies (N = 191 and N = 101), learners were presented with a varying amount of seductive detail content embedded within a learning text. Instead, the number of text interruptions by seductive content was kept constant between conditions. Both studies consistently showed a linear negative effect of the seductive detail amount on recall performance. Furthermore, Study 2 indicated a polynomial trend regarding transfer performance, suggesting that small seductive detail amounts could improve transfer, even though cross-validation showed that this model is rather unstable. Prior knowledge and working memory capacity did not significantly attenuate the seductive details effect. The results imply that the extent of the seductive detail effect is dependent on the amount of seductive detail content presented. Especially the inclusion of large amounts of digressions should be avoided by teachers and instructional designers, while the inclusion of small amounts might have rather negligible effects.
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