Reinforce Positive Responses, Then Elaborate

Reinforcement can be as simple as having something "happen" when the learner interacts with the text. Audio or video equivalents of "good!" add significantly to the strength of the reinforcement. Building on positive responses creates memorable mental images and associations for the learner. Thus, the main body of an interactive text should reward user explorations of side branches and links. Elaborations should start gradually, allowing users to control the transition to more complex material. Generally, new information should follow, and then reinforce, previous information.