Cognitive Load Theory Video

Do you ever feel like you're bombarded with so much information that you just switch off?

Well, there's a good reason for this – and it's got nothing to do with intelligence or laziness.

Here's what's going on in our brains when we learn.

When we receive new information, we process it through what's known as our "working memory." Here, it's either discarded, or categorized and moved into our "long-term memory."

New information gets connected with related information already stored in our long-term memory, making it easier to absorb and understand.

This idea is called "Cognitive Load Theory" (or CLT).

It's a complex theory, but one of its main insights is simple. There's only so much information our working memories can process at one time.

In fact, CLT suggests that our working memory can generally only hold five to nine pieces of information at a time.

If you're trying to process more than that, the system becomes overwhelmed and malfunctions. In other words, your head starts to hurt!

So, next time you get frustrated when trying to learn something new, consider if you've maxed out your cognitive load.

Keep learning simple   , break information down, and make sure it's at the appropriate level, so that it can connect with other knowledge already stored in your long-term memory.

You might be surprised at how much better you learn.

If you want to learn more about cognitive load theory and the science of learning, see the full article   on our website.