雅思阅读

📖 Reading Passage

The concept of 'cognitive load' refers to the total amount of mental effort being used in the working memory. In educational psychology, cognitive load theory suggests that learning is most effective when instructional materials are designed to minimize extraneous cognitive load, thereby freeing resources for the intrinsic and germane loads that facilitate schema construction. For instance, a poorly designed diagram may force learners to split their attention between disparate sources of information, increasing extraneous load and hindering comprehension. Conversely, integrating related text and visuals can reduce this burden, allowing learners to focus on deeper processing. However, researchers caution that reducing cognitive load is not always beneficial; if materials are too simplified, learners may fail to engage in necessary elaboration, leading to superficial understanding. Thus, the optimal level of instructional guidance depends on the learner's prior knowledge and the complexity of the subject matter.