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 designs align with human cognitive architecture. Intrinsic load is the inherent difficulty of the material itself, while extraneous load is generated by the way information is presented. Germane load, on the other hand, is the effort devoted to processing and understanding the material, which directly contributes to learning. Research has shown that reducing extraneous load, for instance by simplifying diagrams or eliminating redundant text, can free up mental resources for germane load, thereby enhancing comprehension. However, if the intrinsic complexity of the topic is high, even well-designed instruction may not fully compensate for the learner's limited working memory capacity.