PAAS, TUOVINEN, TABBERS, VAN GERVEN COGNITIVE LOAD MEASUREMENT Cognitive Load Measurement as a Means to Advance Cognitive Load Theory Fred Paas Educational Technology Expertise Center Open University of The Netherlands, Heerlen Juhani E. Tuovinen School of Education Charles Sturt University, Australia Huib Tabbers Educational Technology Expertise Center Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen Pascal W. M. Van Gerven Institute of Psychology Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands In this article, we discuss cognitive load measurement techniques with regard to their contribu- tion to cognitive load theory (CLT). CLT is concerned with the design of instructional methods that efficiently use people’s limited cognitive processing capacity to apply acquired knowledge and skills to new situations (i.e., transfer). CLT is based on a cognitive architecture that consists of a limited working memory with partly independent processing units for visual and auditory information, which interacts with an unlimited long-term memory. These structures and func- tions of human cognitive architecture have been used to design a variety of novel efficient in- structional methods. The associated research has shown that measures of cognitive load can re- veal important information for CLT that is not necessarily reflected by traditional performance-based measures. Particularly, the combination of performance and cognitive load measures has been identified to constitute a reliable estimate of the mental efficiency of instruc- tional methods. The discussion of previously used cognitive load measurement techniques and their role in the advancement of CLT is followed by a discussion of aspects of CLT that may benefit by measurement of cognitive load. Within the cognitive load framework, we also discuss some promising new techniques. Cognitive load theory (CLT; Paas & van Merriënboer, 1994a; Sweller, van Merriënboer, & Paas, 1998) is concerned with the development of instructional methods that efficiently use people’s limited cognitive processing capacity to stimulate their ability to apply acquired knowledge and skills to new sit- uations (i.e., transfer). CLT is based on a cognitive architec- ture that consists of a limited working memory, with partly in- dependent processing units for visual/spatial and audi- tory/verbal information, which interacts with a comparatively unlimited long-term memory. Central to CLT is the notion that working memory architecture and its limita- tions should be a major consideration when designing in- struction. The most important learning processes for develop- ing the ability to transfer acquired knowledge and skills are schema construction and automation. According to CLT, multiple elements of information can be chunked as single el- ements in cognitive schemas, which can be automated to a EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST, 38(1), 63–71 Copyright © 2003, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Requests for reprints should be sent to Fred Paas, Educational Technol- ogy Expertise Center, Open University of the Netherlands, P.O. Box 2960, 6401 DL Heerlen, The Netherlands. E-mail: fred.paas@ou.nl