Understanding Online Health Information: Effects of text difficulty and influence of cognitive load and digital health literacy on online information processing.
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2025-09-22
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en
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In the digital era, individuals increasingly consult online health information, yet text complexity may impede effective processing. This study investigates the impact of text difficulty on information recall, considering cognitive load as a mediator and (digital) health literacy as a potential moderator.
A between-subjects experiment (N = 72) exposed participants to either an easy or a difficult health text, after which recall was assessed. (Digital) health literacy was measured with the Digital Health Literacy Instrument (DHLI) and the Short Assessment of Health Literacy (SAHL). Cognitive load was assessed through self-report and heatmapping.
Results indicate that participants reading the easy text demonstrated better recall. For open-ended recall, germane cognitive load mediated this effect, suggesting more efficient allocation of cognitive resources to message elaboration. No moderating role of (digital) health literacy was found. Heatmap analyses revealed that perceived text difficulty shifted with condition: easy texts complicated general content, whereas difficult texts complicated detailed medical information.
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