Cognitive load is really important for how well we remember things when we’re learning. From my own journey with memory training, I've learned how to balance different factors to help us remember better.
Cognitive load is the amount of mental effort we use when thinking. Our brains can only handle a certain amount at a time, so knowing the different types of cognitive load is important:
Intrinsic Load: This is how hard the material is to understand. If you’re trying to learn really difficult stuff all at once, this load can be very heavy.
Extraneous Load: This is extra stress that doesn’t help with learning. For example, if your classroom is noisy or the materials are confusing, it makes learning harder than it needs to be.
Germane Load: This is the effort you put into understanding and making sense of information. This is the kind of load we want to focus on when we train.
In learning situations, short-term memory—also known as working memory—is where we temporarily keep information. If the cognitive load is too high, our short-term memory can get overloaded. It’s like trying to fill a full cup with water; most of it just spills out. You may remember a few main points, but a lot of information gets lost.
To help with this, I've found that breaking information into smaller parts, called “chunking,” really works. For example, it’s easier to remember a phone number in chunks like 123-456-7890 instead of 1234567890. This method helps us move information from short-term memory to long-term memory.
For long-term memory, the focus is on how we store and organize information. If we manage cognitive load well, short-term memory can keep info just long enough to get it into long-term storage. Using techniques like spaced repetition and practice can make this even better. But if your cognitive load is too high while trying these methods, you might struggle to remember things later.
Here are some strategies to improve memory during training:
By paying attention to cognitive load, we can really boost our memory training efforts. This way, we won’t just remember things for a short time but also set ourselves up for remembering things longer.
Cognitive load is really important for how well we remember things when we’re learning. From my own journey with memory training, I've learned how to balance different factors to help us remember better.
Cognitive load is the amount of mental effort we use when thinking. Our brains can only handle a certain amount at a time, so knowing the different types of cognitive load is important:
Intrinsic Load: This is how hard the material is to understand. If you’re trying to learn really difficult stuff all at once, this load can be very heavy.
Extraneous Load: This is extra stress that doesn’t help with learning. For example, if your classroom is noisy or the materials are confusing, it makes learning harder than it needs to be.
Germane Load: This is the effort you put into understanding and making sense of information. This is the kind of load we want to focus on when we train.
In learning situations, short-term memory—also known as working memory—is where we temporarily keep information. If the cognitive load is too high, our short-term memory can get overloaded. It’s like trying to fill a full cup with water; most of it just spills out. You may remember a few main points, but a lot of information gets lost.
To help with this, I've found that breaking information into smaller parts, called “chunking,” really works. For example, it’s easier to remember a phone number in chunks like 123-456-7890 instead of 1234567890. This method helps us move information from short-term memory to long-term memory.
For long-term memory, the focus is on how we store and organize information. If we manage cognitive load well, short-term memory can keep info just long enough to get it into long-term storage. Using techniques like spaced repetition and practice can make this even better. But if your cognitive load is too high while trying these methods, you might struggle to remember things later.
Here are some strategies to improve memory during training:
By paying attention to cognitive load, we can really boost our memory training efforts. This way, we won’t just remember things for a short time but also set ourselves up for remembering things longer.