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The Validity of Physiological Measures to Identify Differences in Intrinsic Cognitive Load
Paul Ayres1, Joy Yeonjoo Lee2, Fred Paas3,4
1School of Education, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Frontiers in Psychology
|September 27, 2021
Summary
Physiological measures, including eye-tracking and heart rate, can assess intrinsic cognitive load. Combining these with subjective reports offers the most effective detection of cognitive load changes.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human Factors Engineering
- Psychophysiology
Background:
- Intrinsic cognitive load is a key factor in task performance and learning.
- Accurate measurement of cognitive load is essential for optimizing instructional design and user experience.
- Physiological measures offer objective insights into cognitive processes, complementing subjective reports.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and assess the validity and sensitivity of physiological measures for quantifying intrinsic cognitive load.
- To compare the effectiveness of different physiological measures (eye, cardiovascular, electrodermal, and brain activity) against subjective assessments.
- To identify the most reliable methods for measuring cognitive load in experimental settings.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature search was conducted on the Web-of-Science database for studies published between 2016-2020.
- Included studies utilized within-subjects designs with tasks of varying complexity and employed physiological measures.
- Validity was assessed through construct validity and sensitivity analysis, comparing physiological and subjective measures.
Main Results:
- Thirty-three experiments using physiological measures (cardiovascular, ocular, electrodermal, neural) and subjective reports were analyzed.
- Most physiological measures demonstrated some validity, but sensitivity varied significantly.
- Eye-tracking measures were most sensitive, followed by cardiovascular, electrodermal, and neural measures; subjective measures showed the highest validity.
Conclusions:
- A combination of physiological and subjective measures provides the most robust and accurate assessment of intrinsic cognitive load.
- The choice of physiological measure should consider task type and the need for sensitivity to subtle cognitive load variations.
- Future research should focus on integrating diverse measures to enhance the understanding of cognitive load dynamics.
