Cognitive unloading: what it is and how it relates to the learning process

Contents:

• What determines whether a person will remember information or save it somewhere on an "external medium"
• How the Internet and neural networks affect unloading

What determines whether a person will remember information or save it somewhere on an “external medium”

Cognitive unloading is natural A phenomenon in which people tend to minimize their mental effort. For example, one study described by Alexander Skulmovsky showed that young children prefer to physically turn objects over rather than try to imagine what they would look like from the other side. This approach illustrates how children replace the thought process with actual action, which allows them to conserve cognitive resources. This mechanism can be observed not only in children but also in adults, highlighting the importance of understanding cognitive unloading in various areas of life and its impact on decision-making and learning. Older children approach the process of memorizing information more consciously, forming their strategies depending on the complexity of the task or the value of the information. This is confirmed by experiments with participants aged 9-11. Adults have even more factors influencing the decision to memorize or record new information. Alexander Skulmovsky identified these factors, but to understand them, it is necessary to turn to the basics of cognitive load theory, developed by cognitive psychologist John Sweller. This theory helps explain how different elements of information influence the ability to remember and assimilate knowledge, which is particularly relevant to educational practices and teaching methods. Cognitive load is the amount of information that must be held in working memory at a given time. This memory capacity is limited, making it important to manage cognitive load to improve work and learning efficiency. Cognitive load is divided into two types: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic cognitive load is associated with individual information processing characteristics, such as training level and experience. Extrinsic cognitive load arises from environmental factors and information presentation that can distract or complicate the perception process. Understanding these aspects of cognitive load helps optimize learning and improve the ability to perceive information.

• Internal — the effort a person needs to comprehend and understand information (it depends on age and basic knowledge of the topic covered by the new information being studied, as well as the complexity of that information);
• External — all external factors that take up attention and require cognitive effort, distracting from the information a person needs to master (a noisy background, a font that is difficult to read, illustrations that distract from the meaning of the text, and so on).

When a person receives new information through reading, viewing, or listening, external cognitive load can distract their attention. As a result, this information will not end up in working memory and will not be stored in the long-term. In other words, it may pass by without leaving a trace. To effectively absorb information, it is important to minimize distractions and focus on the content.

If the information got When information enters a person's working memory, they are faced with a choice: to memorize it for the long term or to transfer it to an "external medium," which implies cognitive unloading. Several factors influence this decision. Personal interests, the significance of the information, as well as its complexity and volume, play an important role. A person is more likely to memorize information if it is relevant to their life or work. In cases where the information is complex or voluminous, preference may be given to storing it externally, for example, in the form of notes or recordings. Thus, the process of information processing depends on many psychological and contextual factors that determine how long it will remain in memory.

• Individual characteristics of working memory. Research studied by Alexander Skulmovsky shows that people with smaller working memory capacities tend to store information on "external media" more often than to memorize it (which is logical).
• Awareness of one's own memory capabilities. If a person believes they have a weak working memory, they are more likely to rely on "external storage" rather than their own brain for information. A number of scientific studies analyzed by Alexander Skulmovsky showed that when people are aware of their memory's potential capacity, they more carefully choose what they should remember and what they can forget (this is called "responsible remembering" and "responsible forgetting"). However, if a person frequently uses external storage to transfer data, the effectiveness of this strategy decreases.
• Perception of information value. In one experiment described by Skulmovsky, scientists found that people were more likely to transfer information to "external storage" and not memorize it if they believed their knowledge of this information would not be tested in the future. Simply put, a student may simply not consider the material important because "they won't ask about it on the exam." The same experiment showed that if you highlight the value of information, students will put more effort into remembering it (that is, they will strive to store it in memory, rather than on "external media").
• Increased level of internal cognitive load. The more effort required to understand information, the greater the chance that a person will prefer to avoid it and get rid of this information.
• Trust in the device where the information will be stored. For example, studies have shown that gadgets with touch interfaces are more conducive to a person transferring some information to them than those that require using a mouse (apparently because "extra body movements" also represent an unnecessary load). But age plays a role in preferences: for example, older people prefer to transfer information to "external media" if the device is similar to a regular pen in use (this is more familiar to them and requires less effort).

Alexander Skulmovsky emphasizes that external cognitive load represents a triple barrier. It complicates not only the process of entering information into working memory but also the choice of data processing strategy: remembering the information or simply writing it down. Furthermore, the complexity of managing the device used to transfer data to external media also impacts the efficiency of information processing. Understanding these aspects allows for optimized learning and increased productivity in the face of information overload.

When transferring information to external media, a phenomenon known as "pointers" occurs. This term comes from programming and refers to variables or objects that contain addresses by which other objects can be found. In the context of cognitive unloading, a person doesn't remember the information itself, as they transfer it to an external medium, but they retain the location where this information is stored. Thus, pointers help organize and structure knowledge, making it easier to access in the future.

Research shows that relying on "Signposts" may be unreliable for remembering the gist of information. In one experiment cited by the author, scientists asked participants to "download" information onto an electronic device and then slightly altered it. Participants, unaware of the changes, failed to recognize the substitution and believed the corrected data. While another study demonstrated that awareness of potential risks increases attentiveness, this suggests that people often overtrust external sources. This underscores the importance of critical thinking and verifying information, especially in today's information overload.

In the modern age of the internet and artificial intelligence, researchers emphasize the importance of understanding how information "signposts" work. Today, online resources play a key role in knowledge discovery, and we remember which sites contain the information we need. This shift in approach to information retrieval requires us to effectively navigate the web and critically analyze sources. Proper use of internet resources is becoming essential for obtaining relevant and reliable information.

The framework proposed by Alexander Skulmovsky opens new horizons for the study of cognitive unloading. It can already be implemented in the educational process. The author highlights numerous opportunities for its application, which can significantly improve the quality of learning and reduce students' mental stress.

Learning environments can be designed to minimize the perception of less useful information while making it more difficult to remember important information. This will allow students to better absorb the material. In digital educational environments, a model for diagnosing working memory capabilities can be used to help present information in a convenient form and avoid overloading students, thereby reducing the likelihood of information "offloading".

How the Internet and Neural Networks Affect Offloading

Alexander Skulmovsky emphasizes the importance of the digital environment. Research confirms that the Internet has become an extension of human memory - we no longer need to remember the location of information, since it is easily accessible through search engines. In recent years, generative neural networks have also developed, significantly changing the approach to information processing. As Skulmowski notes, experiments have already been conducted showing that in situations with high cognitive load, people increasingly turn to neural networks as "partners" to ease their intellectual burden. This highlights the growing role of technology in our lives and its impact on decision-making and knowledge acquisition.

Research results show that the dynamics of offloading provided by generative artificial intelligence can be quite complex. Previous studies have confirmed that the use of generative AI in education distributes certain tasks between AI and teachers. This highlights the need for a careful approach to the implementation of technology in education, where AI can perform some functions, while others are left to teachers.

Research shows that as time spent online searching for information increases, people's ability to remember new information decreases. This phenomenon also contributes to the illusion of overconfidence: access to a large amount of information creates the feeling that a person has significant knowledge, although in reality this knowledge may be insufficient. We discussed this effect in detail in previous materials.