Cognitive Load
Have you ever been in a meeting (or class), and the presenter/teacher displayed a PowerPoint slide similar to the one presented above?
The oral presentation that accompanies such a slide would likely benefit from the projection system being turned off. Why? Cognitive load.
The oral presentation that accompanies such a slide would likely benefit from the projection system being turned off. Why? Cognitive load.
4.11 Identify factors that limit the amount of cognitive load people can process at one time.
Cognitive load refers to the demands made on our information processing system at any given time. The type and amount of cognitive load we can manage are defined by the limited capacity of the entire information processing system, outside long-term memory. These limits include:
Cognitive load refers to the demands made on our information processing system at any given time. The type and amount of cognitive load we can manage are defined by the limited capacity of the entire information processing system, outside long-term memory. These limits include:
- We can only attend to one distinct stimulus in our auditory channel, though we can simultaneously attend to information in other channels (visual, touch, taste, smell).
- We can only hold a few distinct pieces of information in working memory, and only for a few seconds if we don’t act on it.
- We must actively make connections between our working memory and long-term memory.
- If we retrieve information from long-term memory into working memory, it counts as some of the limited individual pieces of information we can work with at one time.
- The manner in which we retrieve and store information in long-term memory depends on our previous experiences and preexisting schemata (knowledge structures).
4.12 Distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic cognitive loads.
There are two types of cognitive load:
Intrinsic Cognitive Load
There are two types of cognitive load:
Intrinsic Cognitive Load
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Unalterable properties of the information to be processed. This load can only be reduced by developing, adapting or retrieving a schema to deal with the information. Another part of intrinsic cognitive load are the essential processes (cognitive strategies) required/necessary to understand and make sense of the information.
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Extrinsic Cognitive Load
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These are the factors defining how information is presented/perceived, as well as what types of activities people engage in that could result in permanent learning.
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The following video provides an overview of how the information processing model and cognitive load can be applied to the development of effective multimedia materials for teaching.
Educators interested in helping people learn new things need to do their best to reduce cognitive load. Many models have been developed to support such efforts, such as Gagne’s conditions for learning.