Comparing the effectiveness of animated videos and talking-head videos in science communication

Online videos are becoming increasingly popular for obtaining nutrition-related information. Learning theories suggest that videos may differ in their effectiveness of conveying knowledge depending on the correspondence between audio and visual content. We thus tested whether two popular video formats, i.e. talking-head and animated videos, differed regarding knowledge transfer effectiveness and their ability to stimulate content sharing. A total of 358 participants were randomly assigned to viewing one video format about one of three nutrition-related topics. Videos did not differ in knowledge transfer or content sharing and so can be considered equally effective for use in science communication.