This study aimed to answer two questions: what are the cognitive mechanisms that process different types of multimodal text, and what type of text presentation contributes to more successful information processing and understanding. Mayer’s (2009) Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning suggests that effective engagement with the material presented in the form of polymodal text takes place, due to the need to switch attention between text and image, oral signal and text, and to establish connection between these elements, This leads to integration of the new information into the existing cognitive system, as well as the ability to use the acquired information in the future. Our study investigates how readers process, understand and remember information when reading and listening to texts in four different formats: infographics, audiotext, infographics combined with audiotext, plain written format. Biographies of four Russian writers were used as the material. All the texts were of the same length and the same level of readability (checked via http://readability.io/). In a four-group experimental design, 32 students learning Russian as a foreign language and 32 native speakers of Russian examined four different texts in four different formats. Afterwards, they answered the factual and analytical questions, identified the keywords and estimated the difficulty of each text. Results show that audiotext is the most difficult text format for both groups of the participants. Written text is the easiest and better perceived format for foreign students. No significant differences were found in processing the text presented in infographics and combined (audio + written) modalities. [Supported by research grant no. 21-18-00429 from RSF.]