Cognitive Load Theory

In cognitive psychology, cognitive load is the load related to the executive control of working memory (WM). Theories contend that during complex learning activities the amount of information and interactions that must be processed simultaneously can either under-load, or overload the finite amount of working memory one possesses. All elements must be processed before meaningful learning can continue (Paas el al, 2004).

 

Cognitive load refers to the information that is processed in the limited short term memory during learning. There are three types of cognitive load defined within Cognitive Load Theory (Sweller, 1998). Intrinsic cognitive load is the natural complexity of information that is presented to the learner. An element is anything that needs to be learned, and element interactivity is the mechanism underlying intrinsic cognitive load.

If the interactivity between the elements in working memory is high then the intrinsic cognitive load is high (Sweller, 2010). Extraneous cognitive load refers to elemental activity that does not serve the instructional goal, and needs to be reduced by the instructional designer.

Germane cognitive load allows generative and constructive processing, through which the learner makes connections between the information and prior knowledge. Cognitive overload occurs when the demands of the learning task exceed the processing capacity of the cognitive system.

Many instructional procedures require learners to engage in cognitive activities that impose an unnecessarily heavy load on working memory. Information and activities should be designed in ways that optimise cognitive processing and lead to better formation of mental models and better retrieval of the information by the learner (Tzanavari & Tsapatsoulis, 2010).

Mayer & Moreno (2003) distinguish among three kinds of cognitive demands: essential processing, incidental processing and representational holding.

1. Essential processing refers to the five core processes in the cognitive theory of multimedia learning: selecting words, selecting images, organizing words, organizing images, and integrating. The instructional designer must allow for as much free space in the working memory as possible for essential processing to be maximised.
2. Incidental processing refers to processing that is not required for making sense of the presented information.
3. Representational holding refers to holding verbal or visual representations in the working memory in order to understand the information.

 

Please also see Michaels Seery’s article on Cognitive Load Theory.

 

References

Mayer, R.E, Moreno, R. (2003) Nine Ways to Reduce Cognitive Load in Multimedia Learning. Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 43–52.

Paas, F., Renkel, A., & Sweller, J. (2004). “Cognitive Load Theory: Instructional Implications of the Interaction between Information Structures and Cognitive Architecture”. Instructional Science 32: 1–8. (taken from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_load) 6 Dec 2013)

Sweller, J., Van Merrienboer J.J.V., & Paas F.G.W.C. (1998). Cognitive Architecture and Instructional Design. Educational Psychology Review, 10 (3)

Sweller, J. (2010) Element Interactivity and Intrinsic, Extraneous, and Germane Cognitive Load. Educational Psychological Review, 22, 123-138.

Tzanavari, A., Tsapatsoulis, N. (2010). Affective, Interactive and Cognitive Methods for E-learning Design. Hershey. PA: Information Science Reference.