Sometimes we do attain seminars, lectures and workshops. We spend a day or few hours a day there. But when we come to home we realise that our mind has nowere stored and learned nothing or nothing remembers as it should be. It is not a intelligence issue here. It is a cognitive overload that happns here, due to the cognitive overload the mind is not able to processed everything and keep it in memmory. So that is why you feel like nothing remember.
Cognitive load theory (CLT) is explain the thing that, how our brain works in terms of input and then output of information recieved via different senses. Why does sometimes we fail to answer even we learned about it.
What exactly is Cognitive Load Theory?
This theory, Cognitive load theory is developed by the John Sweller in 1980s. The john is assumed that the human brain has working memmory that is limited while it is working.
So before going to that, let us understand how our brain received data,
- Sensory memmory — In this a person learns from visuals and listening to other persons. All the information is filter to this sensory memmory and passed to the brains working memmory.
- Working Memmory – Working memmory is the consciouss mind of the person. Here the consciouss mind filters the information, removes unwanted and hold the important information. The drawback is that working memmory can only hold upto 3 to 4 piace of information. So, when this increases, the brain is not able to processed the things and cognitive overload occurs.
- Long term memmory — This memmory is related to the subconsciouss mind and is of unlimited form. The next part is that the processed working memmory is then stored in the long term memmory in the form of schemas. Schema is term as to organize the complex material into the simple form to easy retrival whenever needed in the brain.
Understand this in short, Some memmory or information you received via the senses then it goes into the working memmory where it conscioussly develop into memmory. Then if more task is add on the mind at that time then the memmory will not form and it will not passed to the long term memmory. Resulting in the no formation of learning there. So, this is simple cognitive overload theory.
Types of Cognitive load and how to balance them
Cognitive load is the time you have invested in the working memmory to sort out things at any particular time. Sweller has given thre types of cognitive loads,
- Intrinsic cognitive load
- Extraneous cognitive load
- Germane cognitive load
Intrinsic cognitive load
Intrinsic cognitive load, explains the natural difficulty of the topic or question that increases load on the mind. If you are solving difficult mathmatical example that include multiple things at a time, your mind will stuck an will not process things properly.
Solution – We cannot changed the topic or question, but we can segment them into two or more subtypes. Then mind will process each segment separately and learn easily without getting into cognitive overload.
Extraneous cognitive overload
Extraneous overload is related to the waste of mental efforts due to the bad design, poor presentation and the clutter or disturbances present in the environment. Ex. a poorly organized powerpoint presentation with lots of information and images with speaker is speaking will create difficult for you to focus on which things. It then force brain to focus on multiple things and waste our energy there.
Solution – To avoid this extraneous cognitive overload, keep things clean, simple and environment should be clutter free. It will make sure the brain energy is utilizing into the best memmory.
German Cognitive overload
It is also called as good cognitive overload. It involves processing information in a productive way. It involves processing thing, makes connections and building memmory on existing knowledge so that to actively working as making parmanent schemas in long term memmory. This can be again improved via self learning and self explanation topic and various retrival skills.
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