Learning Portfolio 3
Q1)
Performance load is known as the degree of mental and physical activity required to achieve a goal. (Performance Load) With a higher performance load there is a higher probablity of errors occuring whilst a lower performance load will bring higher probabilities of success. There are 2 types of performance loads, these being cognitive and kinematic.
Cognitive includes the amount of mental activity required to accomplish a goal, whether it be perception, memory, or problem solving. Strategies for reducing cognitive load include minimizing visual noise, chunking information that must be remembered, using memory aids and automating computation and memory intensive tasks. Cognitive resources can unnecessarily be overloaded by integrating material from one location with material from another, or by processing material that is overly repetitive (Reducing Cognitive Load) Learning will be maximized if cognitive load is reduced through reducing such elements that stand in the way.
Kinematic loads are those including a degree of physical activity whether it be steps or movements or the amount of force required to accomplish a goal. Strateigies for reducing kinematic load include reducing the number of steps required to complete a task, minimizing the range of motion and travel distances and automating repetitive tasks.
Design should always minimize performance load to the greateast degree through the process of chunking, memory aids and reducing uneccassary items and steps within a chosen task (Performance Load).
