There are five processes that take place when we humans process information:

1. Attention
2. Encoding
3. Rehearsal
4. Retrieval
5. Metacognition

These processes can overlap and do not always take place in this order. Our brain is constantly taking in new information and processing it with information that we have already stored. We are always building upon our prior knowledge.

When we look at something new, we take all the information in. We look at it, listen to it, smell and touch it and taste it when appropriate. We pay attention to it. Our sensory memories take in information by paying attention to the piece of data.

Once the new data is in our working memory, we process that information. What does it mean, why is it here, what is the purpose if this new piece of information. If the new information is important, we go through a process called rehearsal to store that information in our long-term memory. The rehearsal process can be repetition, associations and simulation among other instructional strategies for remembering information.

When the information has been processed into a way we will remember it, we encode the information for storage in the long-term memory. If that information is needed for further processing, we retrieve that information from our internal filing cabinet, the long-term memory.

Metacognition is our personal monitoring system that defines goals, selects strategies to achieve those goals, monitors our progress, and adjusts the strategies as needed. Metacognition oversees the learning process.

Cognitive overload happens when the working memory can no longer process information in the quantities or at the speed which which it is being presented. Cognitive overload is sometimes referred to as the fried brain syndrome.

Think of a wheelbarrow. The purpose of a wheelbarrow is to help us move heavy objects. When the wheelbarrow gets too full, it is either too heavy to push or it topples over. Either way, the true purpose of the wheelbarrow is overridden by the load it has to bear.

Are you ready to test your knowledge of the Human Memory and Human Information Processing?
Take this short crossword puzzle.

Now that you know where and how cognitive overload occurs, let's look at how we can spot the symptoms in ourselves and our learners.

Take me to Indicators of Cognitive Overload.