The Spatial Contiguity Principle

Theory

The spatial contiguity principle suggests that related information sources should be spatially integrated in order to reduce attention-splitting and facilitate learning.

Practice

Spatial contiguity principle. Image borrowed from: http://eet.sdsu.edu/eetwiki... Click on the picture to follow the link. An example of a solved mathematical problem taking into consideration and ignoring the spatial contiguity principle is presented in image on the right. Example A shows separated text and graph (two information sources), whereas example B shows same two information sources, but this time spatially integrated. For another example see work of Florax and Ploetzner1) Florax, Mareike, and Rolf Ploetzner. What contributes to the split-attention effect? The role of text segmentation, picture labelling, and spatial proximity. Learning and Instruction 20, no. 3: 216-224. June 2010. .

Research status

Experiments have confirmed importance of this principle2) Chandler, P. and Sweller, J. Cognitive load theory and the format of instruction. Cognition and Instruction, 8(4), 293-332. 1991.