Whether visually highlighted elements are perceived and processed more strongly by learners

Ascertain whether visually highlighted elements in the visual-graphical qubit representations used in this study (the Bloch sphere and the Quantum Bead) are actually perceived by learners and processed more strongly during learning.

Background

Salience was evaluated via expert ratings emphasizing, for example, the Quantum Bead’s color and 3D design. The paper did not directly measure learners’ attention to or processing of these features, and self-report measures of cognitive load may not capture such effects.

The paper explicitly notes that it is unclear whether these visually highlighted elements were noticed and processed more strongly by students during learning, suggesting the need for process-tracing methods (e.g., eye tracking) to test this claim empirically.