Journal of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (1950-1954)

THE INSTRUCTIONAL FILM RESEARCH PROGRAM The Instructional Film Research Program of The Pennsylvania State College is one limited effort to learn more about the human factors and the ways they interact with the sound motion picture as a medium of communication. The Program is sponsored by the Departments of the Army and the Navy through the Special Devices Center, Port Washington, L.I., N.Y. The objective of the Program in terms of the controlling Task Order is to discover facts and principles which will improve the effectiveness of films for the rapid training, instruction and education of large numbers of people. It is the central responsibility of the Instructional Film Research Program to apply and test the application of learning principles to instruction by motion pictures, as well as to try to develop new principles and procedures for increasing the effectiveness of film-mediated instruction. Since its beginning in 1 947 the research of the Instructional Film Research Program has been limited mainly to the instructional and informational film. The entertainment film has been of interest to the extent that it may involve processes which can be used to improve instructional and informational films. Research Methods and Procedures There is nothing obscure or mysterious about the methods and procedures being used in this research. Essentially the methods consist of applying and adapting the general principles of scientific research to the content and arrangement of stimulus variables in instructional motion pictures. Research is done also on the responses of individuals to these film variables. In general, the problem is one of determining the effects on target audiences of varying the streams of stimulievents channeled through the sound motion picture. Theoretical concepts are used at many points and in many ways. Existing and generally accepted theories of learning may be tested in a film context. Theoretical hypotheses may be stated as settings for research projects. Theoretical outlines may be used to guide the direction and to help maintain the balance of effort of the continuing program. Finally, theoretical statements may be employed to aid in summarizing and interpreting results. For the practical man there is nothing so practical and useful as sound, tested theory. Usually we proceed by defining the variable which we wish to study in a film. For example, we may define rate of development (the screen time devoted to each phase of the action) as the variable to be studied. The next step may be to produce several film versions, preferably three or more, which differ from each other only with respect to rate of development. These different versions of films are then shown to matched groups of subjects, the amounts of learning are measured, and the results are compared. Thus, we learn which rate of development is most effective for the experimental film when used with a particular audience. Several variables may be combined in a single version. For example, rate of development may be combined with controlled repetition. By producing systematically a number of experimental film versions, some with and some without specified variables, it is possible to determine the relative contribution of single variables to learning, and also to determine how the variables interact with each other and with the audience. Some variables may be additive in their effects while others may interfere with each other. An experimental film variable is a single, definable, controlled characteristic of a film, such as rate of development, repetition, "subjective" camera Carpenter and Greenhill: Instructional Film Production 417