The role of learning episodes for knowledge acquisition in museums
Eva M. Reussner, M.A., Prof. Dr. Stephan Schwan, Dr. Carmen Zahn & Dipl.-Psych. Kristin Knipfer
This study is concerned with the conditions, processes and outcomes of learning-related experiences during museum visits. Central to the study is the issue of the episodic nature of museum and exhibition visiting. Empirical studies into visitor behaviour and learning processes in exhibitions show that visitors engage with exhibition elements rather selectively and with varying intensity. Also, the visiting sequences do not follow exclusively the intended visiting order. Rather, they are strongly influenced by the spatial layout and relatively simple behaviour principles such as minimizing walking paths. Episodes of intense engagement with contents alternate with episodes of cursory observation as well as episodes that are completely detached from the exhibition’s content. Therefore, the construction of a systematic, holistic and coherent mental representation of exhibition content appears unlikely. Based on these findings this project aims at constructing a model of episodic learning, specifically with regard to (1) how episodic visiting behaviour affects the mental representation of exhibition content, (2) which factors influence episodic visiting behaviour and (3) how these factors can be optimized in order to enhance the learning potential of exhibitions. These questions are to be answered by a combination of empirical studies into the basic conditions on the part of the exhibition, the prerequisites on the part of visitors and the process of visiting including the immediate and delayed representations of exhibition content. The results of this study contribute to a deeper, differentiated understanding of learning processes in museums and deliver starting points for museum practice regarding the development of exhibition concepts to support learning.