Editing Cognitive load (section)

{{Short description|Effort being used in the working memory}}

In [[cognitive psychology]], '''cognitive load''' is the effort being used in the [[working memory]]. According to work conducted in the field of [[instructional design]] and [[pedagogy]], broadly, there are three types of cognitive load:
* ''Intrinsic'' cognitive load is the effort associated with a specific topic.
* ''Germane cognitive load refers to the work put into creating a permanent store of knowledge (a [[schema (psychology)|schema]]).''
* ''Extraneous'' cognitive load refers to the way information or tasks are presented to a learner.

However, over the years, the additivity of these types of cognitive load has been investigated and questioned. Now it is believed that they circularly influence each other.<ref name="Orru, 2019">{{cite book |author=Orru G., Longo L. | chapter=The Evolution of Cognitive Load Theory and the Measurement of Its Intrinsic, Extraneous and Germane Loads: A Review | title=Human Mental Workload: Models and Applications | journal=Human Mental Workload: Models and Applications. H-WORKLOAD 2018. Communications in Computer and Information Science, Springer, Cham | series=Communications in Computer and Information Science | date=2019 |volume=1012 |pages=23–48 |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-14273-5_3 | isbn=978-3-030-14272-8 | s2cid=86587936 | chapter-url=https://arrow.tudublin.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1354&context=scschcomcon }}</ref>

Cognitive load theory was developed  in the late 1980s out of a study of [[problem solving]] by [[John Sweller]].<ref name="Sweller, 1988">{{cite journal |last1=Sweller |first1=John |title=Cognitive Load During Problem Solving: Effects on Learning |journal=Cognitive Science |date=April 1988 |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=257–285 |doi=10.1207/s15516709cog1202_4 |citeseerx=10.1.1.459.9126 |s2cid=9585835 }}</ref> Sweller argued that [[instructional design]] can be used to reduce cognitive load in learners.
Much later, other researchers developed a way to measure perceived mental effort which is indicative of cognitive load.<ref name=Paas1993>{{cite journal |last1=Paas |first1=Fred G. W. C. |last2=Van Merriënboer |first2=Jeroen J. G. |s2cid=67201799 |title=The Efficiency of Instructional Conditions: An Approach to Combine Mental Effort and Performance Measures |journal=Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society |date=23 November 2016 |volume=35 |issue=4 |pages=737–743 |doi=10.1177/001872089303500412 }}</ref><ref name="Skulmowski & Rey 2017">{{cite journal |last1=Skulmowski |first1=Alexander |last2=Rey |first2=Günter Daniel |title=Measuring Cognitive Load in Embodied Learning Settings |journal=Frontiers in Psychology |date=2 August 2017 |volume=8 |page=1191 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01191 |pmid=28824473 |pmc=5539229 |doi-access=free }}</ref> [[Task-invoked pupillary response]] is a reliable and sensitive measurement of cognitive load that is directly related to [[working memory]].<ref name="Granholm et al. 1996">{{cite journal |last1=Granholm |first1=Eric |last2=Asarnow |first2=Robert F. |last3=Sarkin |first3=Andrew J. |last4=Dykes |first4=Karen L. |title=Pupillary responses index cognitive resource limitations |journal=Psychophysiology |date=July 1996 |volume=33 |issue=4 |pages=457–461 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-8986.1996.tb01071.x |pmid=8753946 }}</ref> Information may only be stored in long term memory after first being attended to, and processed by, working memory.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} Working memory, however, is extremely limited in both capacity and duration.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Xu |first1=Chaoer |last2=Qian |first2=Yingzhu |last3=Chen |first3=Hui |last4=Shen |first4=Mowei |last5=Zhou |first5=Jifan |date=October 2023 |title=Remembering Sets: Capacity Limit and Time Limit of Ensemble Representations in Working Memory |journal=Behavioral Sciences |language=en |volume=13 |issue=10 |pages=856 |doi=10.3390/bs13100856 |doi-access=free |issn=2076-328X |pmc=10604157 |pmid=37887506}}</ref> These limitations will, under some conditions, impede learning.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} Heavy cognitive load can have negative effects on task completion, and the experience of cognitive load is not the same in everyone.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} The elderly, students, and children experience different, and more often higher, amounts of cognitive load.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

The fundamental tenet of cognitive load theory is that the quality of instructional design will be raised if greater consideration is given to the role and limitations of working memory.
With increased distractions, particularly from cell phone use, students are more prone to experiencing high cognitive load which can reduce academic success.<ref name="When it comes to Facebook there may">{{cite journal |last1=Frein |first1=Scott T. |last2=Jones |first2=Samantha L. |last3=Gerow |first3=Jennifer E. |title=When it comes to Facebook there may be more to bad memory than just multitasking |journal=Computers in Human Behavior |date=November 2013 |volume=29 |issue=6 |pages=2179–2182 |doi=10.1016/j.chb.2013.04.031 }}</ref>