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 is generated by the way information is presented to learners, such as confusing diagrams or unnecessary text. Germane load, on the other hand, is the mental resource devoted to processing and understanding the material, which contributes to learning. Effective instructional design aims to minimize extraneous load while optimizing germane load, thereby facilitating deeper comprehension.