Meaning & use
cognitive load
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable or uncountable
The total amount of mental effort being used in working memory at a given time.
Grammar: Can be used with 'a' or 'the' when referring to a specific instance, or without an article when talking about the concept in general.
Patterns
- high/low cognitive load
- reduce cognitive load
- cognitive load theory
Multitasking increases cognitive load and makes it harder to focus.
The teacher simplified the instructions to reduce the cognitive load on her students.
When learning a new language, the cognitive load can feel overwhelming at first.
Common combinations
- high cognitive load
- Driving in heavy traffic puts a high cognitive load on the brain.
- reduce cognitive load
- Good website design aims to reduce cognitive load for users.
- manage cognitive load
- Breaking tasks into smaller steps helps you manage cognitive load.
- cognitive load theory
- Cognitive load theory explains why some lessons are harder to follow.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mental workload
- Similar, but often used in ergonomics and job design rather than in education or psychology.
Word family
Practice
Which sentence uses 'cognitive load' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Choice 1 correctly refers to mental effort in working memory. The others confuse it with physical weight or taste.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cognitive load”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.