Why do I write this, and why should you read this
First of all, the reason that I write about Cognitive Load Theory is that it is my primary area of research right now, but even more, because I kept getting questions about Cognitive Load (Theory) on LinkedIn, but also on Discord in a couple of productivity/studying servers where I answer students’ questions concerning studying, and sometimes also productivity.
The reason I decided to write it on Substack and not on one of the servers I am in or even on my LinkedIn is self-evident; if I did that, I would have to repeat myself over and over again, which is a significant waste of time, now I can point people to my Substack, which in turn increases the traffic between my social media, allowing me to improve my influence, which, I assure you, is not why I write.
The primary reason you should read this is that Cognitive Load Theory, at least for now, is at the foundation of my thoughts about education. Therefore, to understand my overall arguments and claims, you should at least start by understanding Cognitive Load.1
The explanation
What is Cognitive Load Theory?
Cognitive Load Theory, or CLT for short, has the purpose of creating teaching methods that make efficient use of the limited capacity for cognitive processing we as humans have. The goal is to ensure that the learner can apply or use the knowledge in many different situations, widely known in science as transfer. Cognitive processing is essentially the process of transforming information into usable knowledge.2
CLT is based on a Cognitive Architecture consisting of a limited Working Memory, otherwise known as our short-term memory interacting with our unlimited long-term memory to perform certain actions with information. From now on, I shall point to short-term memory as STM and long-term memory as LTM.
The function of our STM is to process incoming information, either visual or auditory, through our ears. We have primarily independent processing units for both of these. If we “upgrade“ our ability to process new visual information, that doesn’t have to have any effect on incoming auditory information. You can compare the STM to a computer’s RAM if you know a bit about computers.
In contrast, the function of our LTM is to store information for very long periods, depending on the strength of encoding forever, more on encoding in later posts. Following the computer analogy, you can compare the LTM to a computer’s hard drive.3
Information always needs to get through our working memory before being able to go into our LTM. Therefore, it makes sense that we need to deal with its limitations. “People can hold from five to nine information elements for no more than 20s, and even fewer when the information elements need to be combined, contrasted, or manipulated.“ writes Paas.4
In layman’s terms, this means that we cannot hold more than five to nine chunks of information in our head simultaneously for more than 20 seconds. You can test this by reading the following sequence of numbers: 15487483 and then trying to recall it from memory. Unfortunately, I don’t think you’re able to do that. However, there is a trick called chunking to bypass this limit, and I will write more about that in a future post.
Cognitive Load
Cognitive Load, CL for short, refers to the amount of working memory used when learning or performing a task. Mental Load is an estimation of the Load that a task will demand on a person. Mental Effort is the actual cognitive Load devoted to the study at any moment.5
Generally speaking, there are three types of CL:
Intrinsic Load (ICL) - Load coming from the interaction between the learner and the activity, which usually is the relative difficulty of the task.
Extraneous Load (ECL) - Load that comes from the instruction. Or from distraction.
Germane Load (GCL) - Load allocated to creating or automating Cognitive Schemas.
Cognitive Schemas can be seen as mental webs of knowledge. More on this in a later post as well.
These types together make up CL and are additive, meaning that if ICL increases, there is less availability for GCL, etc. Therefore, one could say that Mental Effort is the sum of ICL, ECL, and GCL. In papers about measurement, this is also referred to as Instantaneous Load.6
Another model of CLT suggests that GCL is a part of ICL and not a different type of CL. They argue that what ICL and ECL are in a task depends on the goal for such learning. For example: when a novice first needs to learn to “interview“ patients to find out what illness they have, it would be ECL is the phone rang in between, or people talking in the background, as it does not participate in what the person is learning. However, in the same scenario, if there was a near graduate, they should combine every skill they learned in the past, learning what it would be in an actual work scenario. In that case, the phone ringing and many voices talking in the background would be ICL, contributing to what the person needs to learn.7
In the next post, I will elaborate on how this information can be used to improve your studying routines. However, remember that that information might be limited, as I have not done that much research yet.
Note: I do not know everything about Cognitive Load Theory yet; in fact, I have only read about seven papers about it or such, but when my knowledge changes and I deem it essential, I shall notify you, my readers, about it.
In another research paper, Dr. Paas said that the goal of CLT is to make guidelines for teaching methods; the difference is negligible: Paas, Fred, and Jeroen J. G. van Merriënboer. “Cognitive-Load Theory: Methods to Manage Working Memory Load in the Learning of Complex Tasks.” Current Directions in Psychological Science 29, no. 4 (August 1, 2020): 394–98. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721420922183. p.394
Paas, Fred, Juhani Tuovinen, Huib Tabbers, and Pascal Van Gerven. “Cognitive Load Measurement as a Means to Advance Cognitive Load Theory.” Educational Psychologist - EDUC PSYCHOL 38 (March 1, 2003): 63–71. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3801_8. p.63
Paas, Fred, and Jeroen J. G. van Merriënboer. “Cognitive-Load Theory: Methods to Manage Working Memory Load in the Learning of Complex Tasks.” Current Directions in Psychological Science 29, no. 4 (August 1, 2020): 394–98. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721420922183. p.395
Paas, Fred, Juhani Tuovinen, Huib Tabbers, and Pascal Van Gerven. “Cognitive Load Measurement as a Means to Advance Cognitive Load Theory.” Educational Psychologist - EDUC PSYCHOL 38 (March 1, 2003): 63–71. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3801_8. p.64
Paas, Fred, Juhani Tuovinen, Huib Tabbers, and Pascal Van Gerven. “Cognitive Load Measurement as a Means to Advance Cognitive Load Theory.” Educational Psychologist - EDUC PSYCHOL 38 (March 1, 2003): 63–71. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3801_8. p.65
Leppink, Jimmie. “Cognitive Load Theory: Practical Implications and an Important Challenge.” Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences 12, no. 5 (June 13, 2017): 385–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtumed.2017.05.003. pp.386-87
1. Regarding STM... how would you consider input this for a deaf-blind individual? My initial thought is tactile, through braille.
2. Can you elaborate on ICL, ECL and GCL, without using a computer based analogy?
This looks quite interesting, I look forward to reading more as you learn. I will also be looking into your sources at some point, they look applicable to some of my studies.