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 contexts, cognitive load theory suggests that instructional design should minimize extraneous cognitive load to facilitate learning. Extraneous load is caused by poorly presented information, such as confusing diagrams or unnecessary text, which distracts learners from the core material. In contrast, intrinsic load is inherent to the complexity of the subject matter itself, and germane load is the effort devoted to processing and understanding the material. Studies have shown that when extraneous load is reduced, learners can allocate more working memory resources to germane processes, thereby improving retention and problem-solving abilities. However, reducing intrinsic load is more challenging, as it often requires breaking down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable components, a strategy known as 'sequencing'.