Teach and/or support learning
How students learn, both generally and within their subject/disciplinary area(s)
Seductive details are pieces of information — like stories, images, or jokes — that grab attention but aren’t necessary to understand the topic. Think of a fun fact about a volcano in a lesson that’s actually about tectonic plates. While these details seem like they’d help by making things more interesting, they often do the opposite: they distract, overload students’ memory, and reduce learning. This is especially true when students are new to a topic or the learning is fast-paced.
Learners exposed to seductive details consistently performed worse than those who weren't ➖➖. Sundararajan & Adesope (2020) found a small-to-moderate negative effect (g = -0.33). This was stronger when details were static (e.g., images rather than short videos), presented in text and image format, or placed at the end of material (g = -0.70). Paper-based materials showed larger negative effects than digital ones.
The effect was larger when students couldn’t control the pace of learning, and when seductive details were frequent or matched the same media format as the core content. Rey (2012) also found medium negative effects on both recall (g = -0.27 to -0.95) and transfer (g = -0.65 to -0.83), especially when seductive details were visual. Across both meta-analyses, distraction, overload, and schema interference were key explanations.
However, a few studies found that seductive details didn’t always hurt — especially when students were warned about irrelevant content or had strong prior knowledge.
This summary is based on two meta-analyses. The most recent and rigorous one (Sundararajan & Adesope, 2020) reviewed 68 effects from 58 studies and rated high quality (➕➕➕➕) — it found a small-to-moderate negative effect of seductive details. The earlier meta-analysis by Rey (2012) included 39 experimental effects and also found medium negative effects. Both reviews were consistent in showing that seductive details hinder learning under most conditions, and they provide clear design guidance for educators.
Rey, G. D. (2012). A review of research and a meta-analysis of the seductive detail effect. Educational Research Review, 7(3), 216-237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2012.05.003
Sundararajan, N., & Adesope, O. O. (2020). Keep it coherent: A meta-analysis of the seductive details effect. Educational Psychology Review, 32, 707-734. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09522-4
Rey, G. D. (2012). A review of research and a meta-analysis of the seductive detail effect. Educational Research Review, 7(3), 216–237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2012.05.003
Sundararajan, N., & Adesope, O. O. (2020). Keep it relevant: A meta-analysis of the seductive details effect. Educational Psychology Review, 32(4), 707–734. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09522-4
