Impact of Reducing Intrinsic Cognitive Load on Learning in a Mathematical Domain.

By Paul Ayres. 2006

213 citations recorded by the source corpus.

This paper examines the effectiveness of instructional strategies that lower cognitive load by reducing task complexity (intrinsic cognitive load). Three groups of 13-year-old students were required to learn a mathematical task under different conditions. One group (Isolated) followed a strategy that used part-tasks where the constituent elements were isolated from each other (element isolation). A second group (Integrated) received whole tasks where all elements were fully integrated, and a third group (Mixed) followed a mixed strategy progressing from part-tasks to whole-tasks. Results indicated that the part-task strategy was effective in lowering cognitive load for all students, but only benefitted learning for students with low prior knowledge. In contrast, students with a higher prior knowledge learned significantly more having studied whole tasks during instruction compared with part-tasks. The mixed-mode method proved to be ineffective for both levels of prior knowledge. These results are discussed in terms of cognitive load theory. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Subfields: Artificial Intelligence, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/ac57225c02e6b2418ae2642823d208c7805a6b81

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Citations in the corpus

Toward a Synthesis of Cognitive Load Theory, Four-Component Instructional Design, and Self-Directed Learning (2009, background): “In this situation, the element interactivity of the task should be reduced by reducing the number of elements and interactions between elements, which must be dealt simultaneously in order to complete the task (Ayres 2006; Pollock et al. 2002; see also van Merriënboer and Sweller 2005).”
Handbook of Research on Learning and Instruction (2011, background): “…(2001) provided specific instructional tasks and teaching cues to assist fourth-grade receivers learn to use quick, straight cuts into an open space, thus reinforcing the passer’s attempts to throw lead passes into open spaces, learning to release the ball before the receiver reached the space.”
A Cognitive Load Approach to Collaborative Learning: United Brains for Complex Tasks (2009, background): “Intrinsic load provides a “base” load that is irreducible other than by constructing additional schemas and automating previously acquired schemas—in other words, by an increase in expertise or by deconstructing the task so that less elements interact (see Ayres 2006; Pollock et al. 2002).”
Worked example effects in individual and group work settings (2010, background): “…in groups share the cognitive load by sharing the task, then the intrinsic cognitive load, due to the intrinsic complexity of the material (see Ayres, 2006; Sweller et al., 1998), can be reduced, although at the cost of each individual not necessarily being familiar with the entire task.”
Using Electroencephalography to Measure Cognitive Load (2010, background): “Thus, subjective rating scales do not give insight into fluctuations in instantaneous load over time, unless they are applied repeatedly within a task, which has been done with tasks of varying duration (e.g., Ayres 2006; Experiment 1 by Van Merrienboer et al. 2002).”
Teaching complex rather than simple tasks: balancing intrinsic and germane load to enhance transfer of learning (2006, methodology): “Clarke, T., Ayres, P., & Sweller, J. (2005).”
Understanding instructional design effects by differentiated measurement of intrinsic, extraneous, and germane cognitive load (2020, background): “2002; Ayres 2006), meaning that in a first step, complexity is reduced by de‑constructing the task, and therefore learning is conducted element‑by‑element to allow learners to construct partial schemas, which can be combined in a second step.”