Example — an illustrative record showing the WASTE article format. WASTE is pre-launch; this is not a published, peer-reviewed article.
Abandonment of a Cognitive Load Theory Extension for Multimedia Learning in Elderly Populations
Abstract
After three years of work we are abandoning our proposed extension of cognitive load theory for multimedia learning in adults aged 65+. The extension's key predictions failed in seven of nine experiments.
The core assumption — that age-related working-memory decline would interact with modality in a specific, predictable way — was not supported. Observed effects were smaller and less consistent than the framework required, and the two confirmatory results did not survive replication.
We publish the abandoned hypothesis, the experiments, and our reasoning so that the framework is not silently re-proposed elsewhere.
Failure Analysis
Stage: Theory / Hypothesis
Primary causes
- Core interaction assumption was not supported empirically
- Early confirmatory findings did not replicate
Boundary conditions: A narrower version of the hypothesis may hold for specific tasks; the broad framework as proposed is what we abandon.
Lessons Learned
- The predicted age × modality interaction did not hold across experiments.
- Two early confirmatory results were false positives that failed to replicate.
- Publishing the abandonment prevents the same framework from being silently re-proposed.
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