In the experiment, the instruction component taught art history,
chosen as a lesson topic that participants were unlikely
to have strong prior familiarity with, while still representing
a real-world learning task. Four modules comprised the
lecture: neoclassicism, romanticism, impressionism, and postimpressionism.
In all conditions, the computer-based educational
system presented each topic for four minutes, leading
to a total instructional time of 16 minutes. Each four minute
module consisted of a two minute segment giving an overview
of the topic itself, followed by two one-minute segments highlighting
a single painting from that art period. The system
used text, images, and a prerecorded female voice to provide
participants with lecture content.