Dual Coding: How Combining Words and Visuals Makes You Remember Everything You Study

You've been reading the same chapter for 45 minutes. You've highlighted half the page. You've read each paragraph at least twice. And if someone asked you right now to explain what you just studied? Blank. Total blank.

Sound familiar?

Here's the thing. Your brain doesn't learn well from words alone. It never has. And that's not a you problem. That's just how human memory works. Your brain actually processes information through two separate channels, one for words and one for images, and most students only ever use one of them.

The technique that fixes this is called dual coding. It's one of the six most effective learning strategies identified by cognitive scientists, and it's probably the most underused. Let's break down exactly what it is, why it works so well, and how you can start using it tonight.

What Is Dual Coding (and Why Should You Care)?

Dual coding is simple. You combine words with visuals when you study. That's it. You take the text you're reading and pair it with a diagram, sketch, timeline, chart, or any kind of visual representation.

Canadian psychologist Allan Paivio developed the dual coding theory back in 1971. He proposed that our brains have two separate systems for processing information: a verbal system (for words, speech, text) and a nonverbal system (for images, diagrams, spatial information). When you study using only text, you're feeding information into just one system. When you add visuals, you activate both.

Two memory channels instead of one. Two ways to retrieve the information later.

It sounds almost too simple to be real. But decades of research back it up. A meta-analysis by Butcher (2006) found that combining text with relevant diagrams improved comprehension by nearly half a standard deviation compared to text alone. That's a significant bump, especially if you're the student sitting right on the edge between a B and an A.

How Does Dual Coding Actually Work in Your Brain?

Here's the short version: your brain stores words and images separately but connects them.

Think about it this way. When someone says "dog," you don't just see the letters d-o-g in your head. You probably picture a dog, maybe a golden retriever, maybe the one your neighbor has. That automatic image generation? That's your two memory systems talking to each other.

Paivio called the verbal memory units "logogens" and the visual ones "imagens." Big words, simple idea. When you create both a verbal and visual memory trace for the same concept, you basically give yourself two hooks to pull that information back up during an exam. If one pathway fails, the other can still get you there.

This connects directly to something called the picture superiority effect. Molecular biologist John Medina described it in his book Brain Rules: when people receive information as text alone, they tend to recall roughly 10% three days later. Add a relevant image, and recall jumps to around 65%. The exact numbers are debated among researchers, but the direction is clear. Visuals make information stick.

And this has nothing to do with "learning styles." That's a common confusion. Learning styles (the idea that you're a "visual learner" or an "auditory learner") have been debunked pretty thoroughly. Dual coding is different. It's based on how everyone's brain processes information, regardless of your preference.

How Does Dual Coding Compare to Other Study Techniques?

You might be wondering where dual coding fits alongside techniques you already know. If you're using active recall and spaced repetition, you're already doing great. Dual coding isn't a replacement for those. It's a multiplier.

Think of it like this. Active recall is about testing yourself. Spaced repetition is about timing your reviews. Dual coding is about how you encode the information in the first place. You can (and should) combine all three.

For example, say you're studying the cardiovascular system. You read about how blood flows through the heart. That's verbal encoding. Then you draw a rough sketch of the heart with arrows showing blood flow direction. That's visual encoding. Now you've dual coded it. Later, when you quiz yourself using flashcards, you'll have two memory pathways to pull from instead of one.

The techniques stack. And that's really where the magic happens.

5 Practical Ways to Use Dual Coding Tonight

Enough theory. Let's get practical. You don't need to be an artist. You don't need fancy apps. You just need a pen and a willingness to draw some terrible diagrams (seriously, ugly diagrams work just as well as pretty ones).

1. Sketch While You Read

This is the simplest way to start. As you read through your textbook or notes, pause after each major concept and draw a quick visual. Studying the water cycle? Sketch it. Learning about supply and demand in economics? Draw the curves. Going through the stages of cell division in biology? Quick boxes with arrows.

Your sketch doesn't need to be Instagram-worthy. It needs to make sense to you. Stick figures, arrows, boxes, circles. That's all you need.

2. Create Comparison Charts

When you're studying two concepts that are easy to mix up (and your professor will definitely test you on the differences), draw a comparison table or Venn diagram. Sympathetic vs. parasympathetic nervous system? Text alone makes this confusing. A two-column chart with simple icons makes it click instantly.

3. Build Timelines

History students, this one's for you. But timelines work for any subject with sequences: the progression of a disease, steps in a chemical reaction, the development of a legal argument.

Draw a horizontal line. Place events along it with brief descriptions and small icons. Now you've got both a visual and verbal representation of the same sequence.

4. Turn Definitions into Diagrams

Stop trying to memorize definitions word for word. Instead, take the key concept and represent it visually. If you're studying photosynthesis, draw the process with sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide going in, and glucose and oxygen coming out. Label everything. Your diagram becomes a map that's easier to recall than a paragraph of text.

This works incredibly well when combined with the Feynman Technique. Explain the concept in simple words while drawing it out. If you can't draw it simply, you probably don't understand it yet.

5. Use Color Coding with Purpose

Color isn't just decoration. Used intentionally, it becomes another visual cue. Assign specific colors to specific types of information: red for key terms, blue for processes, green for examples. When you're sitting in the exam, your brain might not remember the exact words, but it'll remember "that was the green section" and the associated visual pattern.

Just don't go overboard. Oliver Caviglioli, who literally wrote the book on dual coding for education, recommends keeping it restrained. Too many colors create visual noise, not visual memory.

What Are the Most Common Dual Coding Mistakes?

Before you grab your colored pens and go to town, here are a few things that trip students up.

Decorating instead of encoding. Adding cute doodles to your notes because they look nice is not dual coding. Your visuals need to represent the actual information. A random star next to a paragraph is decoration. A labeled diagram of the concept in that paragraph is dual coding. Big difference.

Making it too complicated. Your visual representation should simplify the concept, not add more confusion. If your diagram has 47 arrows and 12 colors, you've overdone it. Keep it clean. Caviglioli's four principles are helpful here: cut (less content), chunk (group related info), align (keep it neat), and restrain (don't overdo the design).

Skipping the verbal part. Dual coding means dual. If you only draw pictures without any text labels, you're single coding visually. Always pair your visuals with words, whether that's labels on a diagram, bullet points next to a sketch, or a brief written summary alongside your drawing.

Copying diagrams passively. Just copying a diagram from your textbook isn't enough. The real learning happens when you create the visual yourself. Close your textbook, try to recreate the diagram from memory, then check it against the original. Now you've combined dual coding with active recall, and that's a seriously powerful combination.

Does Dual Coding Work for Every Subject?

Short answer: yes, but some subjects make it easier.

Sciences are the natural fit. Biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy. These subjects are full of processes and structures that translate beautifully into diagrams.

But don't count out humanities. History students can use timelines and maps. Psychology students can diagram theories. Law students can create flowcharts for legal reasoning. Even literature students can map character relationships or plot structures.

Math is a bit different. You can't exactly draw a diagram of a derivative. But you can sketch graphs, visualize functions, and create visual walkthroughs of problem-solving processes. If you're working through math study strategies, adding visuals helps you see patterns you'd miss in pure numbers.

How to Get Started with Dual Coding Today

Don't try to overhaul your entire study system right now. Pick one topic from your current coursework, read through it once, then grab a blank piece of paper and represent the main ideas visually. Label your sketches with key terms. That's your first dual coded study session.

If creating practice diagrams from scratch feels overwhelming, tools like StudyLab can help by generating flashcards and quiz questions from your study materials, giving you the verbal prompts you need to build visual representations around.

Try it for one week. Just one. Use dual coding alongside whatever other study techniques you already use. Pay attention to whether you recall more during your next test. Most students who try it notice a difference pretty quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is dual coding the same as learning styles?

No. Learning styles (the idea that you're a "visual" or "auditory" learner) have been widely debunked by researchers. Dual coding is different because it works for everyone. It's based on how the human brain processes and stores information, not on personal preference. Every student benefits from combining verbal and visual information, regardless of how they feel they learn best.

Do I need to be good at drawing to use dual coding?

Not at all. Your visuals don't need to look good. They need to make sense to you. Stick figures, simple boxes, basic arrows. That's all you need. Research shows that the act of creating the visual is what encodes the information, not the quality of the drawing.

Can I use dual coding for online studying and digital notes?

Absolutely. You can add diagrams to digital notes, create visual summaries on a tablet, or use screenshot annotations. Some students prefer drawing on paper (and there's evidence that handwriting aids memory), but the technique works digitally too. The important thing is pairing words with meaningful visuals.

How long does dual coding take?

It does take a bit more time upfront than just re-reading your notes. But that extra time is an investment. You'll spend less time reviewing later because the information sticks better the first time. Most students find that a dual coded study session of 30 minutes beats a re-reading session of two hours when it comes to what they actually remember.

What's the best way to combine dual coding with other study techniques?

Start with dual coding when you first learn material (create diagrams alongside your notes). Then use spaced repetition to review those materials over time. Test yourself by recreating your diagrams from memory. This triple combination (encode with dual coding, space your reviews, test with active recall) is one of the most effective study systems backed by research.

The Bottom Line

Your brain has two memory channels. Most students only use one. Dual coding is how you activate both, and the research on this has been consistent for over 50 years.

Start tonight. One topic, one sketch, one diagram. That's all it takes to begin studying smarter, not harder.

Ready to put dual coding into practice? Upload your study materials to StudyLab and start testing yourself with AI-generated quizzes and flashcards today.