Pictures are commonly used to represent problems. However, it is unclear how the addition of pictures affects students’ problem-solving performance. The multimedia effect in problem solving describes the phenomenon whereby an individual’s problem-solving performance is enhanced when equivalent pictures are added to illustrate or replace part of the problem text. Using meta-analytic techniques, this study sought to determine the overall size of the multimedia effect in problem solving and the possible boundary conditions (k = 51; N = 38,987; Range n = 10 – 31,842; Median n = 63). The results showed a significant small-to-medium multimedia effect size on response accuracy (Hedges’s g = 0.32) and a significant medium-to-large multimedia effect size on students’ response certainty (Hedges’s g = 0.74), but no significant multimedia effect on response time. The results for the effects of decorative pictures were not sufficient for a reliable interpretation. Representational (Hedges’s g = 0.24) and organizational (Hedges’s g = 0.52) pictures had a significant and positive impact on response accuracy, but informational or multiple pictures across studies did not have a significant aggregate effect on an individual’s response accuracy. These findings suggest that the multimedia effect in problem solving is diverse and limited by multiple boundary conditions. Further primary studies are needed to further investigate the multimedia effect in problem solving.

图片通常用于表示问题。但是，不清楚图片的添加如何影响学生的解决问题的能力。解决问题中的多媒体效果描述了一种现象，当添加等效图片来说明或替换部分问题文本时，个人的问题解决能力会得到增强。本研究使用荟萃分析技术来确定问题解决中多媒体效果的总体大小和可能的边界条件（k = 51；N = 38,987；范围n = 10 – 31,842；中位数n = 63）。结果表明，中小型多媒体效果对响应准确度的影响很大（Hedges's g= 0.32），并且对学生的反应确定性具有显着的中到大型多媒体效果大小（Hedges's g = 0.74），但对响应时间没有明显的多媒体影响。装饰图片效果的结果不足以进行可靠的解释。代表性（对冲g = 0.24）和组织（对冲g= 0.52）图片对响应准确度有显着且积极的影响，但是研究中的信息性图片或多张图片对个人的响应准确度没有显着的总体影响。这些发现表明，解决问题中的多媒体效果是多种多样的，并且受到多种边界条件的限制。需要进一步的基础研究来进一步研究解决问题中的多媒体效果。