4.5.3. Cognitive load
Cognitive load, as measured by invested mental effort and
perceived difficulty of the learning task, was next explored as a
dependent variable. See Table 4 for the means and standard de-
viations of these variables for the four conditions. For each of these
measures, we computed a 2 2 ANOVA with Shape (neutral shape,
round face-like) and Color (neutral color, warm hues) as between-
subject factors. The ANOVAs computed on mental effort and task
difficulty scores as dependent variables revealed no main or inter-
action effects. In summary, the factors of Color and Shape in the
multimedia learning task did not uniquely impact the amount of
reported mental effort learners invested or the perceived difficulty
during learning, failing to lend support to Hypothesis 5.
4.5.4. Learners’ motivation, perception of learning achievement,
and satisfaction with learning
Table 4 shows means and standard deviations of scores for
motivation, learners’ perception of their learning experience, and
learners’ satisfaction for the four conditions. The moderate to
strong correlations between motivation, perception of achieve-
ment, and satisfaction, indicate the need for a multivariate analysis
of variance to determine the effect of the two different manipula-
tions on learning outcomes. We computed a 2 2 MANOVA with