%% Title: Cognitive load Created: 2022-03-08 21:06 Status: Parent: [[Resources/Cognition/Memory]] Tags: Source: %% # Cognitive load Cognitive load is a measure of how "full" our memories are. For each task we undertake, some mixture of the different kinds of memory is required. Examples: 1. Taking out the garbage requires a low cognitive load. It's a task that we are very familiar with, we know where the dumpster or trash cans are, putting the trash in isn't a difficult task. 2. Writing a short program to solve a problem we understand takes a higher cognitive load, but it's still not cognitively intensive. 3. Writing a large program, regardless of how well we understand the problem, is going to take a significant cognitive load. We have to keep context of which part of the program we're working on, and the interfaces to the parts of the program we have to interact with. 4. Learning a new skill tends to have a higher cognitive load. We can decrease the cognitive load in a couple ways: - Drawing analogies and connections to related information. If I'm well-versed in maths and learning a new branch, it takes less effort to use those other mathematical tools to learn a new kind of maths. - Having an effective note-taking system, making it easier to find prior knowledge and to store prior knowledge. Effective note-taking also increases our ability to recall what we know. - Building repetitions in the subject area helps to lower the cognitive load over time. As we gain reps, we build muscle memory in the subject area.