Cognitive Load and Working Memory in Multimedia Video Podcasts: Effects of Elaborative and Seductive Details

Educational video podcasts are increasingly used in higher education, yet the cognitive mechanisms underlying their effectiveness remain underexplored. This experimental study examined how working memory capacity and additive contextual features influence situational interest, cognitive load, and learning from educational video podcasts. Sixty-two university students viewed video podcasts on lightning with standard narration with visuals (control), elaborative details, or seductive details. Working memory did not significantly predict learning outcomes or moderate the effects of additive features, and no differences were observed across conditions for cognitive load or situational interest. In free recall, the control condition outperformed the seductive details condition (p = .004, g = 1.03), though this difference was not significant when controlling for working memory. Transfer did not differ across conditions. Follow-up interviews revealed that students across conditions emphasized visuals as critical for comprehension, while those in additive conditions reported feeling overwhelmed despite similar cognitive load ratings. These findings suggest that well-designed multimedia environments may stabilize learning outcomes across differences in working memory capacity, extending cognitive theory of multimedia learning. Designers of educational video podcasts should prioritize narration aligned with supportive visuals over additive contextual features.