Emotions may act as extraneous cognitive load by competing for limited working memory resources with task-irrelevant processing¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · theoreticalr3·q1
Currency · newest study 2019 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q1 i? One perspective in cognitive load theory describes emotions as extraneous cognitive load that competes for limited working memory resources by requiring processing of task-extra or task-irrelevant information. → Plass 2019
Evidence¶
Plass 2019¶
Plass, J. L., & Kalyuga, S. (2019). Four Ways of Considering Emotion in Cognitive Load Theory. Educational Psychology Review, 31, 339–359. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09473-5
q1 · i? · theoretical · r3
Theoretical argument presented in the article's abstract as the first of four perspectives on emotion in cognitive load theory. The article offers this as a conceptual position, describing emotions as "extraneous cognitive load, competing for the limited resources of working memory."
"One perspective describes emotions as extraneous cognitive load, competing for the limited resources of working memory by requiring the processing of task-extra or task-irrelevant information."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- A dual-channel assumption for emotions is discussed as part of integrating emotion into cognitive load theory — related
- Emotion directly affects encoding, storage, and retrieval of information, including before awareness of the material, via broadening or narrowing cognitive resources and mood-dependent and mood-congruent processing — related
- Interesting but irrelevant details can impair comprehension and transfer, with effects that vary with the material and the learner — related
- Coherence Principle Irrelevant Material Hurts Learning — related
- Emotion may affect intrinsic cognitive load, for example when emotion regulation is part of the learning outcomes — related
- Collaborative learning distributes cognitive load across multiple working memories, aiding learning of high-load tasks — related
- Metacognitive regulation of learning imposes additional cognitive load (metacognitive load) on top of the load of actual learning — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
emotion-as-extraneous-cognitive-load |
title |
Emotions may act as extraneous cognitive load by competing for limited working memory resources with task-irrelevant processing |
description |
Emotions may act as extraneous cognitive load by competing for limited working memory resources with task-irrelevant processing |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
weak |
newest_evidence |
2019 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-15 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — plass-2019 |
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