ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews how cognitive load has been measured in research on simulation-based medical and health professions training. It focuses on studies that have explicitly measured cognitive load using one or more techniques. The chapter explains the established measurement techniques of subjective ratings, secondary task measures, and physiological indices. It examines empirical research on the use of interviews and focus groups, behavioral observations, and multiple methods. The chapter presents an overview of outstanding issues in cognitive load measurement, highlighting the specific challenges in the domain of simulation training. Cognitive load theory has emerged as an important framework for understanding how the instructional design of simulation training impacts learning. Secondary tasks have demonstrated considerable promise as an objective measure of cognitive load for simulation-based training. Despite the advances that have been made with respect to measuring cognitive load in the context of simulation training for healthcare professionals, much work remains to be done.
