What the research found
In memory experiments, people remember pictures better than words — the picture superiority effect.
Nelson, Reed & Walling (1976). Pictorial superiority effect. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory 2(5), 523–528. doi:10.1037/0278-7393.2.5.523
How Word Gallery uses it
- One painting for each word. On the card you meet the word, its meaning and its painting together.
- The picture never gives the answer away. When you are asked for the meaning, you see the back of the canvas; it turns to its face once you have answered.
- The picture is your cue. When you are asked for the new word, its painting is in front of you.
