cognitive-load-theorylisted

## Concept Card **What it is:** Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) is a psychological framework originating with John Sweller (1988) that explains how human working memory processes new information and what design decisions help or hinder schema formation. It is the scientific backbone behind "keep it simple" intuitions — but with actionable precision about *which* complexity to cut and which to preserve. **Mental model:** Working memory is a small workspace — roughly 4 independent chunks at once (Miller's 7±2, revised by Cowan to ~4), and it holds novel information for only seconds unless rehearsed. CLT describes the load on that workspace in terms of intrinsic load (the task itself) and extraneous load (how you presented the task); germane load is the portion of working-memory effort that gets applied to building schemas out of the intrinsic material. Total load must stay below capacity or learning and comprehension fail. **Why it exists:** Without CLT, agents default to "simplify" without knowing what to cut. They might remove worked examples (germane processing of intrinsic load, valuable) while keeping verbose prose around a table (extraneous load, wasteful). CLT gives a precise vocabulary for the tradeoff. Its deeper grounding is evolutionary (Geary's biologically *secondary* knowledge): we did not evolve to acquire reading, mathematics, or code effortlessly, so this material runs into the working-memory bottleneck and *needs* deliberate instructional design — unlike biolog