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 subject matter 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 reduced through better instructional materials. Germane load is the effort devoted to processing and constructing schemas, which is beneficial for learning. Research suggests that effective teaching strategies aim to minimize extraneous load while optimizing germane load, especially when intrinsic load is high.