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, and can be reduced through better instructional methods. Germane load, on the other hand, is the effort devoted to processing and understanding the material, which directly contributes to learning. Research suggests that effective instructional design should manage intrinsic load, minimize extraneous load, and optimize germane load to facilitate deeper learning. However, overloading working memory can hinder the acquisition of new knowledge, especially in complex domains.