Claims

Self-reported extraneous cognitive load correlates negatively with germane load and with expected probability of success in an algebra task

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q2 · i0–i1
Currency · newest study 2020 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · 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.

q2 i1 Extraneous and germane cognitive load were negatively correlated (r = -.264, p < .01). → Gupta 2020 q2 i0 Extraneous cognitive load correlated negatively with QCM probability of success (r = -.191, p < .05). → Gupta 2020 (2)

Evidence

Gupta 2020

Gupta, U., & Zheng, R. Z. (2020). Cognitive Load in Solving Mathematics Problems: Validating the Role of Motivation and the Interaction Among Prior Knowledge, Worked Examples, and Task Difficulty. European Journal of STEM Education, 5(1), 05. https://doi.org/10.20897/ejsteme/9252

q2 · i1 · causal · r2

Correlational analysis of CLM subscales in the same algebra study: "A negative correlation between extraneous cognitive load and germane cognitive load (r = -.264, p < .01) was detected", which the authors take as confirming Sweller et al.'s hypothesis.

"A negative correlation between extraneous cognitive load and germane cognitive load (r = -.264, p < .01) was detected which confirms Sweller et al.’s (1998) hypothesis about the negative relationship between extraneous and germane cognitive load."

Gupta 2020 (2)

Gupta, U., & Zheng, R. Z. (2020). Cognitive Load in Solving Mathematics Problems: Validating the Role of Motivation and the Interaction Among Prior Knowledge, Worked Examples, and Task Difficulty. European Journal of STEM Education, 5(1), 05. https://doi.org/10.20897/ejsteme/9252

q2 · i0 · causal · r2

Same correlational analysis, CLM extraneous subscale against QCM: "extraneous cognitive load was found to correlate negatively with the probability of success (r = -.191, p < .05)".

"Finally, extraneous cognitive load was found to correlate negatively with the probability of success (r = -.191, p < .05) in QCM."

Discussion

Page metadata
Field Value
type claim
id extraneous-cognitive-load-correlates-negatively-with-germane-load-and-probability-of-success
title Self-reported extraneous cognitive load correlates negatively with germane load and with expected probability of success in an algebra task
description Self-reported extraneous cognitive load correlates negatively with germane load and with expected probability of success in an algebra task
status review
evidence_strength moderate
newest_evidence 2020
source_checked 2026-10-20
generated by claude/unspecified on 2026-09-24
trust unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources 2 — gupta-2020, gupta-2020-2

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