There's a study from 2023 that shows how effective visuals can be. Researchers Amjaad Mansour Alwadei and Mohammed Ali Mohsen conducted a 10-week experiment involving 41 Arab college students learning English.
The students were divided into two groups: one learned vocabulary through traditional methods, while the other used infographics tailored to their course material. These infographics transformed standard vocabulary lessons into engaging visual narratives, making complex words more accessible and memorable.
The results were striking: students who used infographics performed better in both recognizing and using new vocabulary, not just immediately after the lessons, but even weeks later. They also reported finding the visual approach more engaging and helpful compared to traditional methods.
Psychologist Haig Kouyoumdjian, Ph.D., says, "Words are abstract and rather difficult for the brain to retain, whereas visuals are concrete and, as such, more easily remembered."
To illustrate, he suggests a similar scenario to that in the aforementioned study, only with a more exciting twist. "Think about your past school days of having to learn a set of new vocabulary words each week. Now, think back to the first kiss you had or your high school prom date."
"Most probably, you had to put forth great effort to remember the vocabulary words. In contrast, when you were actually having your first kiss or your prom date, I bet you weren't trying to commit them to memory. Yet, you can quickly and effortlessly visualize these experiences (now, even years later). You can thank your brain’s amazing visual processor for your ability to easily remember life experiences. Your brain memorized these events for you automatically and without you even realizing what it was doing," the psychologist explains.
According to Kouyoumdjian (and as we can see from this list), "Various types of visuals can be effective learning tools: photos, illustrations, icons, symbols, sketches, figures, and concept maps, to name only a few."
Just consider how memorable the visual graphics are in famous company logos! We instantly recognize the brand by seeing the visual graphic, even before reading the name.
The psychologist believes visual learning is so powerful that he embraces it in his teaching and writing, too.
"Each page in the psychology textbooks I coauthor has been individually formatted to maximize visual learning. Each lecture slide I use in class is presented in a way to make the most of visual learning," Kouyoumdjian says.
Kouyoumdjian believes the right visuals can help make abstract and difficult concepts more tangible and welcoming, as well as make learning more effective and long-lasting. This is why he scrutinizes every visual he uses in his work—to make sure it is paired with content in a clear, meaningful manner.
"Based upon research outcomes, the effective use of visuals can decrease learning time, improve comprehension, enhance retrieval, and increase retention. In addition, the many testimonials I hear from my students and readers weigh heavily in my mind as support for the benefits of learning through visuals," Kouyoumdjian concludes.
You can view this list as sort of a mini experiment as well. For example, think about how little time it took you to scroll through the pictures and the vast amount of information you gathered from them. Pretty effective means of communication, don't you think?