The Effect of Infographics on Recall of Information about Genetically Modified Foods

Abstract

Although multiple agricultural literacy campaigns exist, studies have found many people struggle to grasp agriculture topics. In order to process and learn information, individuals use a limited pool of cognitive resources. When topics or media messages are complex, those resources can be overwhelmed, thus hindering the learning process. Visual aids can prevent this from occurring. The purpose of this research was to test the use of infographics to communicate the topic of genetically modified foods. One-hundred-thirty undergraduate students were exposed to one of two randomly assigned stimuli. Both stimuli contained the same information about genetically modified foods, but one was presented in the form of an infographic, while the other was a text-only narrative. After viewing, participants were tested in a variety of ways on their ability to recall information. Sixty-nine of these participants took part in a delayed survey a week after stimuli exposure to again test recall and retention of the information they viewed. No significant difference was found in retention and recall rates when using an infographic versus a narrative to communicate a complex topic. However, this study provides several implications for future research in the area of visual communications in agricultural literacy.