When considering engagement with a piece of text, cognitive load can make it or break it. When we read text, be it an interpretive panel, a blog post, or a chapter of a book for example, we may feel we are just reading it. Our brains, however, are hard at work navigating the transfer, or the roadblocks, between our sensory, working and long-term memories.
Cognitive load is the amount of information our working memory can hold at any one time. Bearing in mind that our working memory can only hold about seven chunks of information for around thirty seconds, it does not take much to overload this fragile part of our memory.
Memory retrieval is also related to cognitive load. When commonly used information in our brains – in our schemas – is needed in our working memory, it has little impact on cognitive load. However, when the information is less often used, retrieval of this memory is more taxing, increasing the cognitive load.
Cognitive Load – Extrinsic, Intrinsic & Germane
Extrinsic Load refers to factors coming from the environment or way in which the information is presented.
Intrinsic Load is the complexity of the information being presented. It is influenced by the reader’s prior knowledge (the germane load).
Germane Load is the effort required for the working memory to process the information, such as by interpreting, organizing, or classifying it. It is related to intrinsic load.
For learning, intrinsic and extrinsic loads should be limited, whereas germane load should be improved.
Cognitive Load and Interpretive Text
There are several factors to consider when looking at interpretive text. Some of these are covered in greater detail in the Forgotten in a Flash – How Our Memories Work post.
- Working memory is the short-term, low-capacity area in our brain that stores select sensory stimuli that we perceive through what we see, hear or feel etc
- Information will move to our long-term memory if we have a motivation to remember it, or if it is meaningful to us, makes sense or evokes a memory
- Information in our long-term memory is stored in chunks called schemas, which groups related pieces of information together
- Schemas can be retrieved from our long-term memory and sent back to our working memory when we need it
- Cognitive load is influenced by the intrinsic complexity of the information, the extrinsic environment or methodology of presentation, and the germane load of the individual
When it comes to interpretive text, I consider cognitive (or mental) load to be everything. EVERYTHING. It does not matter how fascinating your topic or story is, if the cognitive load for a reader is too high then you are wasting your time. Granted the load varies from person to person, but your goal is to minimize it as much as possible for as many people as possible.
Let us consider an imaginary viewpoint interpretive panel.
Imagining A Canyon Viewpoint Panel
The Writer
An interpretive writer has been tasked with writing a roadside viewpoint panel overlooking a stunning canyon. The canyon has an impressive geological story, spanning tens of millions of years. Large dinosaur-era marine reptile fossils have been found there. Not dinosaurs themselves, but the next best thing. As the writer knows, talking about this period of geological time is an easier entry point for those without a geological background. It is also fascinating that the area used to be the sea given that the area is now deep far inland. Through working with docents at a nearby Visitor Centre where tectonic forces are explained to visitors, the writer has seen firsthand the many people who are surprised and amazed to learn that the area used to be a seabed.
Many drivers stop at the viewpoint, en route elsewhere. They usually take selfies and photos of the view. They spend a few minutes checking out the features of the landscape before heading on their way. It is therefore a great spot to give them a brief overview of the forces that shaped the land.
The writer wants to keep things brief and decides that some illustrations will help. After all, “a picture paints a thousand words.” There are funds to hire an illustrator (“woohoo”), so the writer works with them to tailor the images to relate directly to the view. The illustrator is talented, and the images are informative and beautiful. The writer wants to keep jargon to a bare minimum but does want to introduce a few key words. They are briefly explained in simple terms and limited to the captions. That way, anyone reading just the main copy will not be confused by them.
The panel takes shape. Text is broken into bite-sized chunks and the graphic designer integrates the captions for the images in a highly aesthetic and ordered way. Some of the captions overlay a background image, but the contrast is strong and the text is short. The writer and designer agree that the aesthetic works well, so they decide to keep it that way.
The writer is pleased with their work. It has been edited for clarity numerous times. Reading it through from start to finish it is clear and concise. The illustrations are amazing, and the layout is simple. This is a panel that the writer can be proud of.
Reader Scenario 1
You are standing at a roadside viewpoint. In front of you is a beautiful canyon. The sun glints off layers of red and orange rocks and the view is stunning. You have never had much interest in rocks, but this view is impressive. You had not planned to stop here as you did not know this viewpoint was here, but you are glad you did.
You decide to read the panel in front of you, as you are curious about what it has to say. There are illustrations and captions, and chunks of text across the panel. Your eyes are drawn to the title in the top left and the paragraph below the title. That must be where it starts. You start to read.
“C’mon, I’m hunnngggryyyyy. Let’s goooo”, comes a small voice drifting from the open car window. You look back at the car. “In a minute. I’m just reading this.” You turn your attention back to the panel. Now, where were you? Dang, you lost your place and forgot what it said. You have to start from the beginning again.
You have reread the chunk of text and it talks of millions of years and shallow seas. But hang on, you are hundreds of kilometres from the sea. That makes no sense. You need more so you cast your eyes over the rest of the panel to see if you spot anything that will help you understand. You see the sea in one of the illustrations, so you go to that next. In doing so, you have mixed up the reading order. The caption is a little confusing, so you have to backtrack to the first illustration to start from the beginning. What does not help is that you do not have your reading glasses on, and two of the captions are overlaying a background image making it harder to read.
Boy, it is hot here. The sun has come out from behind a cloud and is beating down. You have to shade your eyes as your sunglasses are in the car. You persevere though. Words such as “Middle Jurassic”, “sediment”, “marine reptiles” and “basin” jump out at you. Basin? Isn’t that what you put in your kitchen sink, you think? That reminds you, you need to add dish soap to your grocery list.
By now another car has pulled up and the occupants have gotten out. One of them has joined you next to the panel. Are they also reading or just taking in the view? You glance over at them, losing your train of thought again. Oh, they are also reading. Maybe you should move over to give them space to read. But you are not finished. You still do not understand how this canyon formed and you are actually interested. You did note it was the Jurassic though and saw fossil bones in one of the illustrations. At least you can tell your daughter that there were dinosaurs here. She loves dinosaurs.
“I’m hunnngggryyyyy. Pleaaaase, I want to go.” There goes that little voice again from the car. You are about to tell them to be patient, but ah forget it. This is futile. Time to go.
In this scenario, the cognitive load on this reader was not conducive to meaning-making or understanding.
The intrinsic load was high. Geological time and tectonic forces are difficult to comprehend for those who have never studied earth science. Trying to interpret this with only an interpretive panel can be tough.
The extrinsic load was also high, as can be common with interpretive panels. There were direct social distractions from the child in the car, and more indirect distractions from the other reader; even though the other reader was probably not intending to be a distraction. The weather was an environmental distraction. The panel was doing a good job at being organized, however, the font over the background image was a bit challenging for this reader. It may have been fine if the reader had their glasses on, but in this case, it upped the extrinsic load for this reader.
The germane load was low. The reader had little prior interest or knowledge in rocks or landscapes. They had not planned to learn about this canyon today. Instead, they were just taking an opportunity that presented itself. Or at least they were trying to take the opportunity. As such, they were parachuting into a complex topic, poorly primed to understand or make meaning from it. Add the fact that the intrinsic and extrinsic loads were high, and they really stood little chance of successfully engaging with the panel.
To make matters worse, they actually misunderstood information. There were no dinosaur fossils at the site, just marine reptiles. But the reader saw “Jurassic” and “marine reptiles”, as well as an illustration of fossil bones. Their limited prior knowledge, combined with their disrupted reading of the panel led them to make a wrong assumption that there were in fact dinosaurs.
Reader Scenario 2
You are standing at a roadside viewpoint. In front of you is a beautiful canyon. The sun glints off layers of red and orange rocks and the view is stunning. This is just how you hoped it would be. You knew about this viewpoint and had made a point of stopping here as you love this kind of landscape. Even better, there is an interpretive panel.
You are eager to know more. When planning your trip, you had read a little about the canyon and how it formed. It was on the website of the nearby Visitor Centre which you plan to visit later in the day. You did earth science a long time ago in high school, though you have forgotten most of it. However, you have enough grasp of geological time and plate tectonics that you are sure you will be able to understand much of it. You expect that some of what you learned in high school will probably come back to you as you read.
You tear your eyes from the view and look at the panel. There are illustrations and captions, and chunks of text across the panel. Your eyes are drawn to the title in the top left and the paragraph below the title. That must be where it starts. You start to read.
You read the chunk of text and it talks of millions of years and shallow seas. That makes sense. You know that the continents have changed enormously over time and that rocks formed below the sea can even end up in mountain ranges. You want to know more so you cast your eyes over the rest of the panel. The illustrations are great. You can see that the last one reflects the view in front of you, so you start at the first one and read the captions in order.
You are pleased that it is a slightly overcast day. The temperature is just right, and it is comfortable standing here. It is peaceful too. There is another group also enjoying the view, but they are further over and not distracting you.
You are in no rush, so you take your time to read the panel and match it up with the view in front of you. You can see the area in the canyon where they found the marine reptile fossils, including an ichthyosaur. Cool! When you get home, you will have to tell your daughter about that. She loves anything to do with the Jurassic and you recall that she has told you that ichthyosaurs are NOT dinosaurs even though many people think they are. You had not realized that they were sea creatures, well not until now. You wonder if she knows that or if you were just not paying enough attention when she told you. You make a mental note to ask at the Visitor Centre if they have any age-appropriate books on the fossils of this area as it would make a great gift for her. Maybe you could learn together.
You finish reading the panel. That was worth the stop. You snap a few pictures, including one of the areas where the fossils were found so that you can show your daughter. Then you get back in your car and head on your way.
In this scenario, the cognitive load on the reader is a lot more conducive to learning and meaning-making.
The intrinsic load was the same as for the first reader, but the germane load made all the difference.
The extrinsic load was low. There were no social distractions, and the environment was not making it difficult to engage with the panel. With no distractions or discomfort, the reader could focus on the panel, even able to look between the panel and the view to piece together what they were seeing. The well-organized panel and the illustrations made it easy for the reader to follow the narrative.
The germane load was higher. The reader had enough prior exposure to some of the big concepts that they felt confident in what they were about to read. With prompting from the panel, their long-term memory would retrieve parts of the schema of what they knew about geological time and plate tectonics. They had also been reading on the Visitor Centre website so had a little bit of knowledge of this area in particular. They recalled a conversation with their daughter about how ichthyosaurs were not dinosaurs but had not grasped that they were marine animals. But now, having seen this canyon and read the panel, they have built on this conversation and have made some meaning from the experience.
In addition to this learning, they also have a motivation for further learning, having picked up on the ichthyosaurs as a potential parent-child joint learning experience.
Controlling Extrinsic and Intrinsic Cognitive Load
Knowing that there are intrinsic, extrinsic and germane loads, you can see that many factors influence the likelihood of engagement for any individual or at any particular point in time. Many of those factors are out of your control. You cannot control some extrinsic load elements such as the weather or distractions from the likes of little Jimmie needing his parent to come with him “NOW” because he needs the bathroom. Germane load is also unique to each individual.
There are however things you can do to influence the intrinsic load as well as some aspects of extrinsic load in your choice of content and design/layout. Doing so can make a huge difference to the likelihood of engagement so is critical that you pay attention to it. I will explore that in a subsequent post.