Building Expertise: Cognitive Methods for Training and Performance Improvement

Chapter 5. How Working Memory Works

All instruction requiring learners to deal with novel information must be processed by a structure that is minute in capacity and that retains the new information for no more than a few seconds. These limitations should be a central consideration of instructional design.

—JOHN SWELLER, "IMPLICATIONS OF COGNITIVE LOAD THEORY," 2005

THIS CHAPTER DESCRIBES

the features of working memory that influence learning and reviews the classic research studies that revealed those features. It summarizes findings that demonstrate:

• The volatility of unrehearsed content in working memory

• The capacity limits of working memory

• The relationship between working memory capacity and prior knowledge in long-term memory

• The effect of information ...