abstract: This study explored three methods to measure cognitive load in a learning environment using four logic puzzles that systematically varied in level of intrinsic cognitive load. Participants' perceived intrinsic load was simultaneously measured with a self-report measure--a traditional subjective measure--and two objective, physiological measures based on eye-tracking and EEG technology. In addition to gathering self-report, eye-tracking data, and EEG data, this study also captured data on individual difference variables and puzzle performance. Specifically, this study addressed the following research questions: 1. Are self-report ratings of cognitive load sensitive to tasks that increase in level of intrinsic load? 2. Are physiological measures sensitive to tasks that increase in level of intrinsic load? 3. To what extent do objective physiological measures and individual difference variables predict self-report ratings of intrinsic cognitive load? 4. Do the number of errors and the amount of time spent on each puzzle increase as the puzzle difficulty increases? Participants were 56 undergraduate students. Results from analyses with inferential statistics and data-mining techniques indicated features from the physiological data were sensitive to the puzzle tasks that varied in level of intrinsic load. The self-report measures performed similarly when the difference in intrinsic load of the puzzles was the most varied. Implications for these results and future directions for this line of research are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Educational Technology 2013

When students are learning to read, the materials supplied typically will include extensive illustrations. The implicit assumption is that the inclusion of such illustrations will assist students in learning to read. Cognitive load theory suggests that this way of formatting learning materials may not be maximally effective as the inclusion of illustrations with written text constitutes redundant information that may interfere with learning. If working memory resources are devoted to the illustrations rather than the text, as is likely with young children, those resources will be unavailable to decipher the text. The elimination of redundant illustrations may thus enhance learning to read. Three experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of including illustrations in beginning reading materials. Experiment 1 compared reading materials consisting solely of simple prose passages with materials consisting of the same passages plus informative illustrations depicting the content of each passage. Reading proficiency improved more under the no illustrations condition. Experiment 2 compared the informative illustrations with uninformative illustrations. Reading proficiency improved more using uninformative illustrations. Experiment 3 compared uninformative illustrations with no illustrations and found no significant differences between these conditions. These results were interpreted within a cognitive load theory framework. It was concluded that informative illustrations are redundant and so impose an extraneous working memory load that interferes with learning to read.

When students are learning to read, the materials supplied typically will include extensive illustrations. The implicit assumption is that the inclusion of such illustrations will assist students in learning to read. Cognitive load theory suggests that this way of formatting learning materials may not be maximally effective as the inclusion of illustrations with written text constitutes redundant information that may interfere with learning. If working memory resources are devoted to the illustrations rather than the text, as is likely with young children, those resources will be unavailable to decipher the text. The elimination of redundant illustrations may thus enhance learning to read. Three experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of including illustrations in beginning reading materials. Experiment 1 compared reading materials consisting solely of simple prose passages with materials consisting of the same passages plus informative illustrations depicting the content of each passage. Reading proficiency improved more under the no illustrations condition. Experiment 2 compared the informative illustrations with uninformative illustrations. Reading proficiency improved more using uninformative illustrations. Experiment 3 compared uninformative illustrations with no illustrations and found no significant differences between these conditions. These results were interpreted within a cognitive load theory framework. It was concluded that informative illustrations are redundant and so impose an extraneous working memory load that interferes with learning to read.

In this study, the author investigated factors that influence the direct measurement of cognitive load using the dual-task method. The dual-task method is an unambiguous and objective technique to measure cognitive load. The primary task was to master content in a lesson about the Autonomic Nervous System. The secondary task was to respond to a symbol that changed colour by pressing the Enter key. The time between the symbol changing colour and the response of the student was measured. Two versions of the multimedia program tested the influence of the presentation format and instructional strategy on cognitive load. Each version of the program was further subdivided into four lessons, which were used to test the influence of the position of the secondary task on the cognitive load. All the data was collected electronically. The statistical analysis revealed that the position of the secondary task does not influence cognitive load (F (1, 2661) = 3.25, p = 0.071). The presentation format and instructional strategy used in this study however did result in a significant difference between the cognitive load of the two versions. The mean cognitive load of the version using animation was 6.408 and that of the version using predominantly static images and text was 5.684. This difference was found to be highly significant (F (1, 2661) = 52.39, p <.0001). It was concluded that using animation to present content required more mental effort by participants than using images and text to present the same content. / Dissertation (MEd (Computer-Integrated Education))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of an instruction designed by the Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) principles on 7th grade students

It is currently unknown how lie detection accuracy is affected when someone is speaking in his or her second language. We examined whether language proficiency had an impact on lie detection. We hypothesized that when judging the veracity of second-language speakers, participants would be better able to discriminate between truth- and lie-tellers and would have bias toward picking ‘lying’ since they may display cues associated with lying when communicating.We collected video footage of native- and second-language English speakers who lied or told the truth about a transgression. Undergraduate students (N = 51) then judged the veracity of these clips and indicated how confident they were in their ratings. Participants were most accurate and confident when judging native-language truth-tellers. In addition, participants were more likely to exhibit a truth-bias when observing native-language speakers, whereas they were more likely to exhibit a lie-bias when viewing second-language speakers. Implications for the justice system will be discussed. / UOIT

Paper-based user manuals that provide assembly and disassembly instructions often do so with a combination of diagrams supported with textual information that clarifies how to perform the tasks. Mobile devices are emerging as a multimedia platform for providing on-demand training due to their portability. Mobile devices have limited screen size; as a result, the text instructions associated with the diagrams can produce clutter and occlusion on the screen. Also, too much information if fed through a single sensory channel (visual) may result in excessive cognitive load on the working memory of the human brain, thus hindering the learning process. In this work, two user studies were conducted to investigate the tradeoffs of using text, voice, and a combination of both modalities on the learning experience in a just-in-time mobile learning scenario. In such a scenario end-users are managing two very visual tasks at the same time; i.e., the primary task of carrying out the assembly/disassembly job and the secondary task of learning how to perform the task.

The value of hierarchy as an essential trait of concept maps and a way to enhance recall is explored in this thesis. Undergraduate students (N = 40) were randomly assigned to one of two groups and completed an 18-question multiple-choice pre-test about the concept of animal physiology. Then each group studied one of two visual organizers that varied in the level of hierarchy used and finally both groups completed the same multiple-choice test. This research was guided by the following two research questions: Do undergraduate science students using expert-created concept maps differ in their ability to enhance their recall of information about animal physiology when compared to students using visual organizers with limited hierarchy? How does prior knowledge affect the recall of students using concept maps and other visual organizers with limited hierarchy? The data collected from the two groups was analyzed using regression analyses, ANOVA, and repeated-measures ANOVA. It was found that the hierarchical concept-mapping group grew more in their recall of information about animal physiology than the visual-organizer group [F(1,38) = 7.70, p = .009]. The results of these analyses were interpreted using the conceptual framework of cognitive load theory. This theory deals with the encumbrance on working memory that subsequently affects how one recalls information. The findings support the contention that hierarchical concept maps confer an advantage in the recall of science concepts when compared to visual organizers with limited hierarchy. This study lays the ground work for a doctoral study with 200 participants separated into four experimental groups (n = 50), with participants separated by high and low prior knowledge and the aforementioned visual organizers. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2012-06-02 18:28:40.415

How and why visualisations support learning was the subject of this qualitative instrumental collective case study. Five computer programming languages (PHP, Visual Basic, Alice, GameMaker, and RoboLab) supporting differing degrees of visualisation were used as cases to explore the effectiveness of software visualisation to develop fundamental computer programming concepts (sequence, iteration, selection, and modularity). Cognitive theories of visual and auditory processing, cognitive load, and mental models provided a framework in which student cognitive development was tracked and measured by thirty-one 15-17 year old students drawn from a Queensland metropolitan secondary private girls’ school, as active participants in the research. Seventeen findings in three sections increase our understanding of the effects of visualisation on the learning process. The study extended the use of mental model theory to track the learning process, and demonstrated application of student research based metacognitive analysis on individual and peer cognitive development as a means to support research and as an approach to teaching. The findings also forward an explanation for failures in previous software visualisation studies, in particular the study has demonstrated that for the cases examined, where complex concepts are being developed, the mixing of auditory (or text) and visual elements can result in excessive cognitive load and impede learning. This finding provides a framework for selecting the most appropriate instructional programming language based on the cognitive complexity of the concepts under study.

In recent decades, research into human cognition has unveiled in-depth insights into the structures and processes involved in the encoding, storage and retrieval of information. As human working memory is limited in both duration and capacity, cognitive load theory (Sweller, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994; Sweller & Chandler 1994; Chandler & Sweller 1991; 1996) asserts that information should be designed in a way that does not mentally overload learners. However, instructional designs rarely take into account cognitive processes when structuring teaching materials. In fact, many traditional forms of instruction were devised prior to fundamental research into cognitive load effects. As a result, learners are often subjected to cognitive overload when required to engage in extraneous tasks that are not directly related to meaningful learning. This is a particular problem for intrinsically complex Shakespearean works, renowned to be some of the most difficult texts students may ever encounter. Acknowledging that Shakespearean texts were written for performance, they are not always studied as such. Frequently, the texts are read around the class, whereby the focus is not dramatic but literary. Therefore, under the current system of study it is necessary to investigate instruction for reading comprehension of Shakespearean texts. Reading Shakespeare's plays will often overwhelm working memory resources and cause comprehension problems due to the many interactive elements of information readers are required to process simultaneously. This is a significant issue as Shakespeare's works hold a great deal of literary, dramatic, and linguistic significance and their study forms a compulsory part of school curriculum and assessment that affects all students from English speaking nations. By tradition conventional modes of instruction for Shakespearean texts require readers to consult disparate sources of information such as footnotes and endnotes that may contain either inadequate or unnecessary detail. Having to search for relevant information and mentally integrate separate sources of text results in a split attention effect and causes high levels of unnecessary cognitive load. As a result, Shakespeare's texts continue to be such a struggle for many students that some educational faculties have started to initiate the removal of Shakespeare from curriculum instead of developing more effective instructional methods for this domain. This study applies cognitive load theory as a means of investigating the comprehension of Shakespeare by testing the effects of explanatory notes integrated line by line with original Shakespearean verse. Previous studies in cognitive load theory have indicated that restructuring material in accordance with cognitive principles can optimise learning. However, the majority of these studies have focused on technical areas.