The cognitive load theory

HISTORY OF THE COGNITIVE LOAN THEORY

The history of cognitive load theory can be traced to the beginning of Cognitive Scienc in the 1950s and the work ofG.A Miller. In his classic paper, Miller was perhaps the first to has inherent limits. His experimental results suggested that humans are generally able to hold only  of information in short-term memory. And in the early 1970s Simon and Chase were the first to use the term "chunk" to describe how people might organize information in short-term memory. This chunking of memory components has also been described as schema construction.

In the late 1980sJohn Sweler developed cognitive load theory (CLT) while studying problem solving. Studying learners as they solved problems, he and his associates found that learners often use a problem solving strategy called He suggests problem solving by means-ends analysis requires a relatively large amount of cognitive processing capacity, which may not be devoted to schema construction. Sweller suggests that instructional designers should prevent this unnecessary cognitive load by designing instructional materials which do not involve problem solving. Examples of alternative instructional materials include what are known as worked-examples and goal-free problems.

COGNITIVE LOAD THEORY.

Cognitive load theory has been designed to provide guidelines intended to assist in the presentation of information in a manner that encourages learner activities that optimize intellectual performance .Sweller's theory employs aspects of information processing theory to emphasize the inherent limitations of concurrent working memory load on learning during instruction. It makes use of the schema as primary unit of analysis for the design of instructional materials.

In cognitive psychology, cognitive load refers to the total amount of mental effort being used in the working memory. This theory of Cognitive load was developed out of the study of problem solving by John Sweller in the late 1980s. Sweller argued that instructional design can be used to reduce cognitive load in learners.

            The cognitive load theory helps you design training that reduce on learner’s working memories so that they learn more effectively. This then will attribute the better performance of the learner toward different targeted goals.

Sweller discusses, in his view, three types of cognitive load:

• extraneous cognitive load
• intrinsic cognitive load
• germane cognitive loads

Chandler and Sweller, explain the following.

Intrinsic cognitive load

Is the idea that all instruction has an inherent difficulty associated with it (for instance, calculating 1+1).  This inherent difficulty may not be altered by an instructor. However many schemas may be broken into individual “subschemas” and taught in isolation, to be later brought back together and described as a combined whole.

Extraneous cognitive load

Extraneous cognitive load, by contrast, is under the control of instructional designers.  This form of cognitive load is generated by the manner in which information is presented to learners (i.e., the design).  To illustrate an example of extraneous cognitive load, assume there are  at least two possible ways to describe a geometric shape like a triangle.  An instructor could describe a triangle in a verbally, but to show a diagram of a triangle is much better because the learner does not have to deal with extraneous, unnecessary information.

Germane cognitive load

Germane load is a third kind of cognitive load which is encouraged to be promoted.  Germane load is the load dedicated to the processing, construction and automation of schemas. While intrinsic load is generally thought to be immutable, instructional designers can manipulate extraneous and germane load. It is suggested that they limit extraneous load and promote germane load.

Extraneous cognitive load and intrinsic cognitive load are not ideal; they result from inappropriate instructional designs and complexity of information. Germane cognitive load is coined as “effective’ cognitive load, caused by successful schema construction. Each of the cognitive loads are additive, and instructional design’s goal should be to reduce extraneous cognitive load to free up working memory. Reviews in the mid-2000’s provide recent developments and future directions in cognitive load theory research

HOW CAN THE THEORY BE EFFECTED IN THE CLASSROOM BY INTEGRATING IT WITH ICT

Different source of cognitive load are related to different models and modalities of ICT based information presentations (verbal and pictorial presentation models, auditory and visual information modalities). When learners process text and visuals that could not be understood in isolation, the integration of verbal and pictorial presentation is required. When text and pictures are not appropriately located or synchronized in time, integrating this referring representation may increase cognitive to hinder learning.

Using dual-model presentation, example auditory explanation of the visual diagram is an alternative approach to eliminate spilt attention. Integration of the verbal, auditory and pictorial visual information may not overload working memory if its capacity is effectively expanded by using the dual model presentation. Example, it was demonstrated that, animation depicting the operation of a bicycle tire pump with simultaneously audio text only without an animation or the animation only without audio text.

Using simulations, tutorial and games; for instance by using different teaching methodologies like play way activities and games for refreshing mind and developing working memory, short term memory and long term memory.

 Comparison between the simultaneous and sequential presentations of the related audio and the visual information demonstrated that dual mode instructions were superior only when presented in simultaneously form. For example by using Microsoft

power point for presentation and Microsoft publisher for designing instructional learning materials such as picture graphics.

IMPLICATION

Sweller's theories are best applied in the area of instructional design of cognitively complex or technically challenging material.in the past the theory has been applied primarily to technical areas, it is now being applied to more language-based discursive areas.

 His concentration is on the reasons that people have difficulty learning material of this nature. This theory  designed for learning materials which must, if they are to be effective, keep cognitive load of learners at a minimum during the learning process.

Example

In combining an illustration of blood flow through the heart with text and labels, the separation of the text from the illustration forces the learner to look back and forth between the specified parts of the illustration and the text. If the diagram is self-explanatory, research data indicates that processing the text unnecessarily increases working memory load. If the information could be replaced with numbered arrows in the labeled illustration, the learner could concentrate better on learning the content from the illustration alone. Alternatively, if the text is essential to intelligibility, placing it on the diagram rather than separated will reduce cognitive load associated with searching for relations between the text and the diagram (Sweller, 1999).

CONLUSION

Human mental workload has gained importance, in the last few decades, as a fundamental design concept in human-computer interaction, education and other fields. For people interacting with interfaces, computers and technological devices in general, the construct plays an important role. At a low level, while processing information, often people feel annoyed and frustrated; at higher level, mental workload is critical and dangerous as it leads to confusion, it decreases the performance of information processing and it increases the chances of errors and mistakes. It is extensively documented that either mental overload or under load negatively affects performance. Hence, designers and practitioners who are ultimately interested in system or human performance need answers about operator workload at all stages of system design and operation. At an early system design phase, designers require some explicit model to predict the mental workload imposed by their technologies on end-users so that alternative system designs can be evaluated. However, human mental workload is a multifaceted and complex construct mainly applied in cognitive sciences.