Cognitive Load

I was astounded when a brain expert pointed out the size of the amygdala. Something the size of an almond takes control in fight, flight or freeze situations. That’s helpful if you’re running away from danger, unhelpful if you’re angry.

Because of its links to the hippocampus, the amygdala can also limit which memories get passed to the higher levels of the brain.

During my career, I maintained an interest in the science behind learning. One of the later concepts to emerge was cognitive load. Are you old enough to recall when telephones were fixed to a wall socket?

Phone numbers were in a thick book. Regularly dialled ones were on a notepad or similar nearby.

Frequently dialled numbers were in our memories.

Human brains can remember up to ten items, like phone numbers. A random order, like phone numbers, means fewer. All of us fall somewhere along that bell curve.

I remember my father’s frustration when Australian phone numbers moved from six digits to seven. I know now he’d reached peak cognitive load. He could recall six digits easily. The addition of another worried him.

And then, phone numbers went to eight digits. Finally, the ten-digit number hit about the time mobile phones emerged. Many of us can’t recall frequently dialled numbers any more. Find the contact and press dial.

Some learners in our classrooms reach cognitive load quickly. Three items fill it up. After that, the hippocampus shuts off any more input.