The Effect of Image Quality and Image Presentation on the Recall of Anatomic Knowledge.

Abstract

Of the seemingly infinite number of learning objects available for anatomy education, which are the best? This simple question has led to two main research thrusts in our lab. The first question examines the relative efficacy of virtual reality models, static images demonstrating key views, and models in learning anatomy. The second looks at whether image quality matters to anatomy education. We have found that simple anatomic models are better than static images, while both simple models and static images are far better than virtual reality models for recall of anatomic knowledge. Further, we have found that the quality of 2D anatomic illustrations does not alter anatomic recall. This presentation will describe the data and cognitive science supporting our results.