Cognitive Load Theory

The Cognitive Load Theory is an instructional theory that starts from the idea that our working memory is limited with respect to the amount of information it can hold, and the number of operations it can perform on that information (Van Gerven et. al., 2003). This theory plays off of the work originated by George Miller in which he found that our short term memory is limited in the number of items it can store effectively. George Miller presented the idea that the short term memory can only accept and store approximately 7 units of information, whether they are numbers, faces, words, etc. These units are often referred to as “chunks,” and these give way to an important part of the Cognitive Load Theory, chunking.

Another theorist who has contributed to the Cognitive Load Theory is John Sweller, who elaborates on Miller’s findings. Sweller notes that the difference between experts and novices is the fact that novices haven’t organized chunks of information into schemas as well as experts have. When it comes to chunking and instruction, the Cognitive Load Theory looks for techniques to be deliver information in a way that reduces the working memory load, in order to allow information to enter and be stored into long term memory.




Citations:

"Cognitive Load Theory." University of South Alabama Homepage. 2006. Web. 16 Sept. 2010. http://www.southalabama.edu/oll/mobile/theory_workbook/cognitive_load_theory.htm

Soloman, Howard. "Cognitive Load Theory (J. Sweller)." Theory Into Practice (TIP). Web. 16 Sept. 2010. http://tip.psychology.org/sweller.html

"Information Processing Theory (G. Miller)." Theory Into Practice (TIP). Web. 16 Sept. 2010. http://tip.psychology.org/miller.html