What is Load Management Cognitive?

What is it all about?

Photo by Jo Szczepanska on Unsplash

Our brains are remarkable – thousands of times more powerful than the most powerful computers, and capable of doing many different things at once. We’re only aware of just a fraction of what the brain makes us aware of through our consciousness – most of its activity is done without us being aware of it (and, no, it’s absolutely not true that we only use a small percentage of our brain’s power – we use it all, but we’re only aware of a small fraction of it).

An important skill for every person to develop is to know the capability of their own brain, and to maximise this capability as far as possible.

cognitive load refers to the used amount of working memory resources. There are three types of cognitive load:

Intrinsic cognitive load is the effort associated with a specific topic, and refers to the inherent complexity of what is being learnt.
Extraneous cognitive load refers to the way information or tasks are presented, and is created by the impediments to learning. This type of cognitive load should be avoided where possible.

Germane cognitive load refers to the work put into creating a permanent store of knowledge, or a schema. This can be a good form of cognitive load, as it indicates that new knowledge is being created.

How can I learn more ?

Developing your ability to manage cognitive load

This involves three key issues:

Learning to learn better
Dealing with distractions
Prioritising

Your task is to read through four detailed reports and that includes reports on health and safety, finance, marketing and assets. You need to summarise each report into an executive summary. Use the Cognitive Load approach to simplify the information and extract the key points you want to highlight.

To reduce extraneous load in learning, you have to filter out every needless task that is not critical to the learning process and make sure that whenever you are working with new information, you try and access it in easy and understandable ways that are chunked into logical sections. Follow the “simple-to-complex” strategy, ensuring you first master the fundamental principles of a task before you move on to its more complex processes. Start with building blocks, and then develop into complexity.

Test yourself

What have you learnt?

The goal of cognitive load management is to enhance learning, performance, and well-being.
Developing a results-oriented attitude focuses efforts on achieving tangible outcomes and driving meaningful impact through effective cognitive load management practices
Assessing the effectiveness of different approaches to cognitive load management involves critical evaluation of information, methods, and outcomes.
Effectively communicating complex concepts related to cognitive load management requires clear and concise expression, whether in written or verbal form.
Developing communication skills enhances the ability to convey ideas and collaborate effectively with others
Understanding how cognitive load affects individuals' learning and performance cultivates empathy towards others' cognitive limitations and challenges.
This can lead to more empathetic and inclusive approaches to communication, instruction, and teamwork.
Learning to manage cognitive load, whether in oneself or in others, involves dealing with challenges and setbacks.

Conclusion

Cognitive load management will be increasingly important as our modern organisations move further away from the technical problems of the past to more and more of the adaptive challenges of an unknown future. Especially if we are to ensure that our cognitive and collaborative efforts are not wasted on the misalignments in the system and unnecessary information flows that often inundate our organisations into the ineffectiveness that comes with constant capacity overload.