Cognitive Load Theory: Been There, Seen That... Or Have I?

This week I'm digging through a lot of paperwork on Research Guides for my Advanced Reference class and came across one article by Jennifer J. Little, Cognitive Load Theory and Library Research Guides (2010). In this paper, she quotes Lazonder and Rouet "...it has been recognized that  studying electronic documents can cause feelings of disorientation and cognitive overload" (2008, p. 757).

Is THIS why as a grad student immersed in a completely online program, I can read through 6-8 articles a day--take copious notes and still not remember exactly where I'd read what I read next week? Between my Kindle, my Kindle Fire, my desktop, laptop, cell phone reading materials on Google Drive, D2L, Gmail, Facebook, chat rooms, discussion boards, websites, etc. I am in a constant state of some sort of intellectual... fog.

Image retrieved from: http://blog.cachinko.com/2011/09/02/brain-fog-4-ways-to-clear-your-mind-boost-productivity/

 Little writes, "cognitive load theory seeks to reduce or manage the working memory load or cognitive load, in order to assist learners in developing meaningful learning experiences". In terms of creating research guides, cognitive load studies help librarians create pedagogically sound research guides. In terms of my academic career... there's actually a term for what I'm suffering!

Cognitive load theory seems based on the idea that cognitive capacity for learning is limited and that learners are often "overwhelmed by the number of information elements and their interactions that need to be processed" (Paas, Renkle, and Sweller, 2004:1)

---TO BE EXPLORED FURTHER LATER: Currently IN one of these cognitive FOGS---


Lazonder, A.W., & Rouet, J.F. (2008). Information problem solving instruction: Some cognitive and metacognitive issues. Computers in Human Behavior. 24. 753-765.

Paas, F., Renkle, A., & Sweller, J. (2004). Cognitive load theory: Instructional implications of the interaction between information structures and cognitive architecture. Instructional Science, 32. 1-8.