ABSTRACT
The previous chapter presented theoretical and empirical arguments to support the idea that instructional procedures that take into account human cognitive architecture are likely to be more effective. This view of cognitive architecture is used as the basis for cognitive load theory (Sweller, 2015; Sweller et al., 2011), as discussed in this chapter. A detailed explanation of CLT and how cognitive load is measured is provided, followed by the instructional implications of the theory. This provides a theoretical rationale for the research reported in this book. Emphasis is given to the split-attention effect, as it is the most relevant cognitive load effect examined in this study. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the criticisms and challenges of CLT.
