This study investigated whether accelerated video playback affects cognitive load and comprehension, focusing on the moderating role of working memory capacity. With speed control widely available on digital platforms, it is crucial to understand how individuals cognitively process video content presented at varying speeds.

To examine this, eye movements were recorded while 38 participants (16 males, 22 females; age range = 19–26 years, M = 22.5, SD = 1.9) watched information-oriented videos at varying speeds, followed immediately by a recall test. Results indicated that as playback speed increased, perceptual load increased for all participants. However, cognitive load and comprehension patterns differed by working memory capacity. Individuals with lower working memory capacity showed shallow processing, as indicated by the absence of elevated cognitive load, and exhibited significantly reduced accuracy in recall tasks. This suggests that they were unable to sufficiently process and retain key information due to the limitations in their cognitive resources. In contrast, individuals with higher capacity showed increased cognitive load under high-speed conditions yet maintained stable recall performance. This implies that their greater capacity to process information enabled deep processing and successful transfer to long-term memory.

These findings highlight the importance of considering individual cognitive differences when evaluating the effectiveness of speed-watching strategies. Working memory capacity critically determines how well viewers can cope with the rapid presentation of multimodal content. Ultimately, our findings suggest that speed adjustment may not be an efficient strategy for all users, highlighting the need for cognitively responsive designs that foster user-centered ICT environments.