[1] Shalom Fisch used Kahneman's capacity theory, just as others did for their research, to publish a paper on children's understanding of educational content on television.
[2] It is a communication theory based on a model which is used to explain and predict how children learn from educational television programming.
Working memory is explained as having limited resources available for processing external information and when demands exceed capabilities, then the material will not be attended to.
Capacity model implies that television viewers will construct their understanding of the narrative content by accessing prior knowledge and draw inferences on the new material based on previous exposure.
Theory and empirical research has supported the notion that people are using working memory to process information needed to follow the story line or plot.
When the narrative and educational content are intertwined, then it is said to be a small distance, thus reducing the amount of competition for limited resources.
- This model predicts that educational content will be better attended to when the distance from the narrative is small and has been shown in previous studies.
Several factors can increase or decrease the demands required for processing, such as pacing, graphics, audio, and other production features.
Studies have consistently shown that a viewer’s reason for watching can affect at which level the narrative is recalled and understood.