The DOI matches its Crossref record; 14 of the 14 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Cognitive Load Theory: Instructional Implications of the Interaction between Information Structures and Cognitive Architecture
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Reducing extraneous load when it is bound with germane load may also remove affordances for germane processes.
“Reducing extraneous load in these cases may therefore also remove the affordances for germane processes.”
From Cognitive load theory, educational research, and instructional design: some food for thought (2010) · cites this paper as Paas et al. 2004
Designs that seem to elicit extraneous processes may at the same time stimulate germane processes.
“First, designs that seem to elicit extraneous processes may, at the same time, stimulate germane processes.”
From Cognitive load theory, educational research, and instructional design: some food for thought (2010) · cites this paper as Paas et al. 2004
Citations
Cites
Cognitive Load During Problem Solving: Effects on Learning
Sweller, J. (1988) · Cognitive Science · doi:10.1016/0364-0213(88)90023-7 · Cited by 11,048
Self-citationCognitive Load Theory and Instructional Design: Recent Developments
Paas, F., Renkl, A., & Sweller, J. (2003) · Educational Psychologist · doi:10.1207/s15326985ep3801_1 · Cited by 3,041
Self-citationCognitive Load Measurement as a Means to Advance Cognitive Load Theory
Paas, F., Tuovinen, J. E., Tabbers, H., & Van Gerven, P. W. M. (2003) · Educational Psychologist · doi:10.1207/s15326985ep3801_8 · Cited by 2,527
Self-citationKalyuga, S., Ayres, P., Chandler, P., & Sweller, J. (2003) · Educational Psychologist · doi:10.1207/s15326985ep3801_4 · Cited by 1,927
Self-citationMichelene, T. H., Glaser, R. A., & Rees, E. T. (1981) · Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) · Cited by 1,529
Paas, F. G. W. C., & Van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (1994) · Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-0663.86.1.122 · Cited by 1,198 · cited 1×
“The work by Paas and Van Merrienboer (1994) proved to be an important source of inspiration for the work on germane cognitive load.”
BackgroundSelf-citation(1999) · Cited by 944
Taking the Load Off a Learner's Mind: Instructional Design for Complex Learning
van Merrienboer, J. J. G., Kirschner, P. A., & Kester, L. (2003) · Educational Psychologist · doi:10.1207/s15326985ep3801_2 · Cited by 857 · cited 8×
“Salden, Paas, Broers and Van Merriënboer provide a procedure for the dynamic selection of tasks based on performance, mental effort or mental efficiency.”
BackgroundInfluentialPrinciples derived from the study of simple skills do not generalize to complex skill learning
Wulf, G., & Shea, C. H. (2002) · Psychonomic Bulletin & Review · doi:10.3758/bf03196276 · Cited by 829 · cited 2×
“…whereas learning situations with low processing demands will benefit from practice conditions that increase the load and challenge the learner, learning situations with an extremely high load will benefit from practice conditions that reduce the load to more manageable levels (Wulf and Shea 2002).”
BackgroundAssimilating complex information
Pollock, E., Chandler, P., & Sweller, J. (2002) · Learning and Instruction · doi:10.1016/s0959-4752(01)00016-0 · Cited by 692 · cited 1×
“To prevent the excessive load that is often associated with this type of learning task, simpler tasks omitting some of the interacting elements, can be presented to learners, even though the elimination of those elements may partially compromise full understanding ( Pollock, Chandler and Sweller 2002 ).”
BackgroundSelf-citation(1997) · University of Twente Research Information · Cited by 661
Yerkes-Dodson: A Law for all Seasons
Teigen, K. H. (1994) · Theory & Psychology · doi:10.1177/0959354394044004 · Cited by 571
Learning from Worked-Out Examples: The Effects of Example Variability and Elicited Self-Explanations
Renkl, A., Stark, R., Gruber, H., & Mandl, H. (1998) · Contemporary Educational Psychology · doi:10.1006/ceps.1997.0959 · Cited by 374
Self-citationAssessment of Cognitive Load in Multimedia Learning Using Dual-Task Methodology
Brünken, R., Steinbacher, S., Plass, J. L., & Leutner, D. (2002) · Experimental Psychology (formerly Zeitschrift für Experimentelle Psychologie) · doi:10.1027//1618-3169.49.2.109 · Cited by 346
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Research works printed but not linked: 1
- Sweller, J. (1988) Cognitive load during problem solving, Cognitive Science 12: 257–285. · DOI · Paper page
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Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., & Clark, R. E. (2006) · Educational Psychologist · doi:10.1207/s15326985ep4102_1 · Cited by 7,776
Self-citationImplications for educational practice of the science of learning and development
Darling-Hammond, L., Flook, L., Cook-Harvey, C., Barron, B., & Osher, D. (2020) · Applied Developmental Science · doi:10.1080/10888691.2018.1537791 · Cited by 2,733
Cognitive load theory, educational research, and instructional design: some food for thought
de Jong, T. (2010) · Instructional Science · doi:10.1007/s11251-009-9110-0 · Cited by 1,180
The process of problem‐based learning: what works and why
Schmidt, H. G., Rotgans, J. I., & Yew, E. H. (2011) · Medical Education · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2923.2011.04035.x · Cited by 855
Cognitive Load Theory: How Many Types of Load Does It Really Need?
Kalyuga, S. (2011) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-010-9150-7 · Cited by 725
A Cognitive Load Approach to Collaborative Learning: United Brains for Complex Tasks
Kirschner, F., Paas, F., & Kirschner, P. A. (2009) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-008-9095-2 · Cited by 547
Self-citationPaas, F., & Sweller, J. (2012) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-011-9179-2 · Cited by 502
Self-citationInstructional Efficiency: Revisiting the Original Construct in Educational Research
van Gog, T., & Paas, F. (2008) · Educational Psychologist · doi:10.1080/00461520701756248 · Cited by 473
Self-citationChoi, H.-H., van Merriënboer, J. J. G., & Paas, F. (2014) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-014-9262-6 · Cited by 413
Self-citationPaas, F., Tuovinen, J. E., van Merriënboer, J. J. G., & Aubteen Darabi, A. (2005) · Educational Technology Research and Development · doi:10.1007/bf02504795 · Cited by 401
Self-citationMalleability, plasticity, and individuality: How children learn and develop in context1
Cantor, P., Osher, D., Berg, J., Steyer, L., & Rose, T. (2019) · Applied Developmental Science · doi:10.1080/10888691.2017.1398649 · Cited by 328
Mobile Interventions for Severe Mental Illness: Design and Preliminary Data From Three Approaches
Depp, C. A., Mausbach, B., Granholm, E., Cardenas, V., Ben-Zeev, D., Patterson, T. L., Lebowitz, B. D., & Jeste, D. V. (2010) · Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/nmd.0b013e3181f49ea3 · Cited by 265
Optimising worked example instruction: Different ways to increase germane cognitive load
Paas, F., & van Gog, T. (2006) · Learning and Instruction · doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2006.02.004 · Cited by 252
Self-citationHow to Optimize Learning From Animated Models: A Review of Guidelines Based on Cognitive Load
Wouters, P., Paas, F., & van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2008) · Review of Educational Research · doi:10.3102/0034654308320320 · Cited by 224
Self-citationKirschner, F., Paas, F., & Kirschner, P. A. (2011) · Applied Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1002/acp.1730 · Cited by 219
Self-citationCognitive Load Theory: Historical Development and Relation to Other Theories
Moreno, R., & Park, B. (2010) · Cognitive Load Theory · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511844744.003 · Cited by 204
Janssen, J., Kirschner, F., Erkens, G., Kirschner, P. A., & Paas, F. (2010) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-010-9131-x · Cited by 180
Self-citationVirtual reality as a patient education tool in healthcare: A scoping review
van der Kruk, S. R., Zielinski, R., MacDougall, H., Hughes-Barton, D., & Gunn, K. M. (2022) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/j.pec.2022.02.005 · Cited by 169
Patchan, M. M., Schunn, C. D., & Correnti, R. J. (2016) · Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1037/edu0000103 · Cited by 165
Interactivity in Video-based Models
Wouters, P., Tabbers, H. K., & Paas, F. (2007) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-007-9045-4 · Cited by 145
Self-citationKrieglstein, F., Beege, M., Rey, G. D., Sanchez-Stockhammer, C., & Schneider, S. (2023) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-023-09738-0 · Cited by 139
The synergy of embodied cognition and cognitive load theory for optimized learning
Zou, L., Zhang, Z., Mavilidi, M., Chen, Y., Herold, F., Ouwehand, K., & Paas, F. (2025) · Nature Human Behaviour · doi:10.1038/s41562-025-02152-2 · Cited by 131
Self-citationCrisis decision-making: the overlap between intuitive and analytical strategies
Okoli, J., & Watt, J. (2018) · Management Decision · doi:10.1108/md-04-2017-0333 · Cited by 100
Intrinsic and Extraneous Cognitive Load
Sweller, J., Ayres, P., & Kalyuga, S. (2011) · Cognitive Load Theory · doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-8126-4_5 · Cited by 107
Self-citationPaas, F., Van Gerven, P. W. M., & Wouters, P. (2007) · Applied Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1002/acp.1349 · Cited by 84
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Observational learning from animated models: Effects of modality and reflection on transfer
Wouters, P., Paas, F., & van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2009) · Contemporary Educational Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.cedpsych.2008.03.001 · Cited by 71
Self-citationKablan, Z., & Erden, M. (2008) · Computers & Education · doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2007.07.002 · Cited by 51
Wouters, P., Paas, F., & van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2010) · Instructional Science · doi:10.1007/s11251-008-9079-0 · Cited by 37
Self-citationValue of Case-Based Learning within STEM Courses: Is It the Method or Is It the Student?
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Fox, S., & Rey, V. F. (2024) · Machine Learning and Knowledge Extraction · doi:10.3390/make6030071 · Cited by 22
“Cognitive load from the same information can depend upon the extent of prior knowledge, and more prior knowledge may not necessarily reduce cognitive load [28].”
BackgroundThe Effects of Worked-Out Example and Metacognitive Scaffolding on Problem-Solving Programming
Shin, Y., Jung, J., Zumbach, J., & Yi, E. (2023) · Journal of Educational Computing Research · doi:10.1177/07356331231174454 · Cited by 18
Cognitive Load Theory: Implications for Nursing Education and Research
Chen, R., Dore, K., Grierson, L. E. M., Hatala, R., & Norman, G. (2014) · Canadian Journal of Nursing Research · doi:10.1177/084456211404600204 · Cited by 8
Cognitive Load in AI-Assisted vs Traditional Foreign Language Classroom: Mixed Methods Research
Ivanović, I. (2025) · Primenjena lingvistika u čast · doi:10.18485/dpls_plucast.2025.6.ch22 · Cited by 2
A metacognitive approach to learning and performance in human-AI interaction
Fan, Y., Yan, L., Molenaar, I., Greiff, S., & Gašević, D. (2026) · Communications Psychology · doi:10.1038/s44271-026-00548-y · Cited by 1
Metadata
- Authors
- Paas, F., Renkl, A., & Sweller, J.
- Affiliations
- Open University of the Netherlands (NL)
- University of Freiburg (DE)
- UNSW Sydney (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Paas, Fred
- Venue
- Instructional Science
- Published
- 2004-01
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 1-2
- Pages
- 1-8
- ISSN
- 0020-4277 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-1952
- OpenAlex
- W2016546280
- Cited by
- 1,054
- References
- 14
- Citations by year
- 2026: 41 · 2025: 53 · 2024: 57 · 2023: 63 · 2022: 53 · 2021: 48 · 2020: 66 · 2019: 67 · 2018: 49 · 2017: 36 · 2016: 47 · 2015: 77 · 2014: 70 · 2013: 68 · 2012: 54
- FWCI
- 26.57
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Instructional Science (publishedVersion)
- FreiDok plus (Universitätsbibliothek Freiburg) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Visual and Cognitive Learning Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Strategies and Epistemologies
- Keywords
- cognitive load theory, information structure, cognitive architecture, instructional design, working memory, didactic implications
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