Education & Learning · The Science of Learning
A topic within The Science of Learning, itself one of 12 topics in that field and part of Education & Learning.
No prior grounding assumed.
A Systematized Review of Cognitive Load Theory in Health Sciences Education and a Perspective From Cognitive Neuroscience
Sahar Ghanbari, Fariba Haghani, Majid Barekatain & Alireza Jamali · 2020
A systematic review aimed at a clinical-education audience introduces cognitive load theory's three load types and connects them to…
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Cognitive Load During Problem Solving: Effects on Learning
John Sweller · 1988
Argues that conventional problem-solving methods such as means-ends analysis consume working memory that is then unavailable for building the schemas…
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Sahar Ghanbari, Fariba Haghani, Majid Barekatain & Alireza Jamali
A systematic review aimed at a clinical-education audience introduces cognitive load theory's three load types and connects them to cognitive-neuroscience findings, working as an accessible entry point into a technical literature.
10 pageslink checked 17 Sept 2026John Sweller
Argues that conventional problem-solving methods such as means-ends analysis consume working memory that is then unavailable for building the schemas that constitute learning, making unguided problem solving a poor way to teach novices.
29 pagesTon de Jong
Argues cognitive load theory rests on unresolved conceptual and measurement problems, including no agreed way to measure cognitive load directly, and sets out a research agenda to fix them rather than a case for abandoning the theory.
30 pageslink checked 17 Sept 2026Paul A. Kirschner, John Sweller, Femke Kirschner & Jimmy Zambrano
Extends cognitive load theory from individual to collaborative learning, arguing a group's combined working memory can outperform any single member's on complex tasks, but only for tasks too information-heavy for one person to hold alone.
17 pageslink checked 17 Sept 2026