Cognitive load theory – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

July 13, 2023

We asked same-gender couples how they share the ‘mental load’ at home. The results might surprise you

Caitlan McLean, Torrens University Australia and Paul Ward, Torrens University Australia

Many people assume labour is evenly split in same-gender couples. Our study revealed that’s not always necessarily the case.

Do you really need another water bottle, or is your brain just tired? Teera Konakan/Moment Collection/Getty Images

April 25, 2023

Social media scatters your brain, and then you buy stuff you don’t need

Matthew Pittman, University of Tennessee

Scrolling TikTok or Instagram causes mental fatigue, which can lead people to purchase items based on how many ‘likes’ an ad has instead of how much value the product will bring them.

August 17, 2021

Teachers use many teaching approaches to impart knowledge. Pitting one against another harms education

Alan Reid, University of South Australia

The ongoing debate between teacher-led and student-led learning is simplistic. Education is a complex field and teachers adapt their methods to context. It’s never just one or the other.

Cogitive load theory explains why explicit guidance from teachers is more effective in teaching students new content and skills than letting them discover these for themselves. from shutterstock.com

December 11, 2019

I had an idea in the 1980s and to my surprise, it changed education around the world

John Sweller, UNSW Sydney

There are two types of knowledge – we’ve evolved to acquire the first naturally; we need schools for the second. Cognitive load theory explains how to teach knowledge we don’t automatically get.

Articles on Cognitive load theory

Displaying all articles