The concept of 'cognitive load' refers to the total amount of mental effort being used in the working memory. In educational psychology, it is often divided into three types: intrinsic, extraneous, and germane. Intrinsic load is associated with the inherent difficulty of the material itself, which cannot be altered by instructional design. Extraneous load, on the other hand, is generated by the way information is presented to learners, and can be minimized through effective teaching methods. Germane load, however, is the mental resource dedicated to processing and understanding the material, thereby facilitating learning. Research suggests that when extraneous load is high, learners have fewer cognitive resources available for germane processing, which can impede comprehension. Therefore, instructional designers aim to reduce extraneous load to optimize learning outcomes.