Six Strategies You May Not Be Using To Reduce Cognitive Load

In a complex world, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by a deluge of information. This shouldn’t be surprising, as working memory (our mental workspace) is limited in capacity for processing information.

If the demands on working memory (cognitive load) are too high, learners may give up in frustration or fail to comprehend. According to cognitive load theory, some cognitive load must occur during learning, known as inherent cognitive load. Learners can benefit from friction, difficulties, and challenges.

However, extraneous cognitive load is not beneficial as it does not contribute to the learning process. Reducing the extraneous cognitive load required to gain new knowledge and skills can assure greater learner success. Learning designers and facilitators have control over this type of cognitive load. Here are some ways you can reduce extraneous cognitive load.

1. Maximize the Signal to Noise Ratio

Think of the signal as the message you want to communicate and the noise as the extraneous information that detracts from learning. You can remove some extraneous cognitive load by eliminating unnecessary complexity and distraction.

What elements become noise during learning? Anything that inadvertently complicates learning, such as poor instructions (see Writing Microcopy), a confusing user interface, or a visually cluttered layout. Essentially, anything extraneous to the learning task should be transparent to the learner so that it does not deplete a person’s limited cognitive resources.
In their often-quoted article, Nine Ways to Reduce Cognitive Load in Multimedia Learning, Mayer and Moreno (2003) call this approach weeding. It involves eliminating all extraneous content that embellishes the learning, even when it is interesting. The goal is to avoid promoting incidental processing irrelevant to the learning task.

 2. Promote Generative Strategies

Generative strategies, such as elaboration, place more of the responsibility for learning on the individual. Elaboration occurs when learners use their own words and ideas to expand on a concept so that it relates to their experience and understanding (Jonassen, 1988). This process may reduce cognitive load for some learners. See Elaboration Strategies That Benefit Learning for more.

How can you do this in eLearning? Using a technique known as the query method, include a prompt to “stop and think” about the concepts just presented. Instruct learners to generate one sentence from a list of key concepts or vocabulary presented in the training and to submit this sentence online.

In one study, embedding low-level elaboration queries into online training resulted in “improved organization, integration, and application of task-relevant knowledge and higher instructional efficiency” (Cuevas & Fiore, 2014).

3. Write Concisely

Concise writing is a straightforward way to reduce cognitive load, though writing with fewer words than many words takes more effort. Long-winded explanations, obtuse instructions, and irrelevant content make unnecessary demands on cognitive resources. A general guideline is to use only the words needed to explain or define a concept or principle.

One study asked participants to read passages of different lengths about a weather process. Subjects learned the least from the passage with 500 hundred words, not accompanied by a brief summary. Retention and transfer were most significant for those reading passages with brief summaries (Mayer, Bove, Bryman, Mars, & Tapangco, 1996).

4. Provide Scaffolding (Supplantive Strategies)

Another way to reduce cognitive load is to assist with learning tasks and eventually withdraw the assistance when the learner can perform the task independently. Educators refer to this strategy using the metaphor of scaffolding (temporary support).

In adult learning, scaffolding makes sense for learning how to perform complex tasks, such as solving difficult problems. One way to accomplish this in online instruction is to identify the parts of a task that cause the most difficulty. Embed appropriate assistance for these problematic tasks that users can select if they need help. One weaning technique might be to apply hints rather than explicit help.

Another interesting approach comes from a study that created a computer-based matching service for computer science students. The service connected the best type of expert to scaffold a particular student’s learning. Upon finding the appropriate person, the tutor and student would interact online (Greer et al. 1998, 2000). A similar approach might be effective in large international organizations that have a workforce with diverse expertise.

5. Create Opportunities for Collaborative Learning

According to cognitive load theory, as the content becomes more difficult, individual learning becomes less efficient than learning with a group. The idea is that group learning divides cognitive processing across several individuals under certain conditions and reduces cognitive load. Even though the information needs to be re-integrated and the learning coordinated, collaborative learning is considered more efficient under conditions that cause high cognitive load (Kirschner, Paas, & Kirschner 2009).

Recommendations for this strategy usually include providing a team assignment to a group of two to five people. Types of assignments include solving a complex problem, generating a plan, or developing a checklist. The assignment must include input from every individual and involve interactions that promote discussion, challenging and defense of ideas and reflection on the learning task. Researchers theorize that under conditions of high cognitive load, this richer collaborative learning environment leads to deeper processing and more meaningful learning than individual learning. In an online environment, you can accomplish this through synchronous video conferencing or asynchronous platforms, such as forums. For more collaborative learning strategies, see Cognitive Load and Collaborative Learning.

6. Provide Cognitive Aids

A cognitive aid is any tool or set of materials that can offload some of the demands on working memory. Cognitive aids can be anything from using paper and pencil as a scratchpad to a mobile app that calculates complex measurements. In the workplace, you may use performance support tools as external memory aids. But what about during a learning intervention? To reduce cognitive load while a person is in the process of learning, you can provide external memory supports such as:

• checklists for completing complex instructional tasks,
• worked problems as examples,
• a quick-reference glossary for new terminology, and
• concept maps that diagram concept relationships.

Reducing Cognitive Load Conclusion

According to cognitive load theory, extraneous load consists of the demands on working memory that do not contribute to learning. It is the aspect of instructional interventions that learning experience designers can control. Hopefully, these six strategies are reminders of valuable approaches that can reduce cognitive load in your designs.

References:

• Clark, R., Nguyen, F., and J. Sweller (2005). Efficiency in Learning: Evidence-Based Guidelines to Manage Cognitive Load.
• Cuevas & Fiore (2014). Enhancing learning outcomes in computer-based training via self-generated elaboration. Instructional Science; Vol. 42 Issue 6, p839-859.
• Greer, McCalla, Cooke, Collins, Kumar, Bishop, & Vassileva, (2000). Integrating cognitive tools for peer help: The intelligent intraNet peer help-desk project. In S.P. Lajoie, eds, Computers as Cognitive Tools (Vol.2): No More Walls, Vol. 5, pp. 69–96. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
• Jonassen (1988). Learning strategies in courseware. In David H. Jonassen (Ed.), Instructional designs for microcomputer courseware, (pp. 151-181). Hillsdale:NJ. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
• Kirschner, F., Paas, F., & Kirschner, P (2009). A Cognitive Load Approach to Collaborative Learning: United Brains for Complex Tasks. Educational Psychology Review, Volume 21, Issue 1, pp 31–42.
• Mayer, Bove, Bryman, Mars, and Tapangco (1996). When Less Is More: Meaningful Learning From Visual and Verbal Summaries of Science Textbook Lessons. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1996, Vol. 88, No. 1,64-73.
• Mayer & Moreno (2003). Nine Ways to Reduce Cognitive Load in Multimedia Learning. Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 43–52.