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. 2024 Sep 19:15:1401005.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1401005. eCollection 2024.

Which ERP components are effective in measuring cognitive load in multimedia learning? A meta-analysis based on relevant studies

Shuyu Yu  1 , Lianghao Tian  2 , Guohua Wang  2 , Shengxin Nie  2
Affiliations

Which ERP components are effective in measuring cognitive load in multimedia learning? A meta-analysis based on relevant studies

Shuyu Yu et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

The open and generative nature of multimedia learning environments tends to cause cognitive overload in learners, and cognitive load is difficult for researchers to observe objectively because of its implicit and complex nature. Event-related potentials (ERP), a method of studying potential changes associated with specific events or stimuli by recording the electroencephalogram (EEG), has become an important method of measuring cognitive load in cognitive psychology. Although many studies have relied on ERP output measurements to compare different levels of cognitive load in multimedia learning, the results of the effect of cognitive load on ERP have been inconsistent. In this study, we used a meta-analysis of evidence-based research to quantitatively analyze 17 experimental studies to quantitatively evaluate which ERP component (amplitude) is most sensitive to cognitive load. Forty five effect sizes from 26 studies involving 360 participants were calculated. (1) The results of the studies analyzed in subgroups indicated high level effect sizes for P300 and P200 (2) Analyses of moderating variables for signal acquisition did not find that different methods of signal acquisition had a significant effect on the measurement of cognitive load (3) Analyses of moderating variables for task design found that a task system with feedback was more convenient for the measurement of cognitive load, and that designing for 3 levels of cognitive load was more convenient for the measurement of cognitive load than for 2 levels of cognitive load. (4) Analyses of continuous moderating variables for subject characteristics did not find significant effects of age, gender, or sample size on the results.

Keywords: cognitive load; electroencephalogram; event-related potentials; meta-analysis; multimedia learning.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA study collection flow diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of ERP components that effectively measure cognitive load.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Funnel plot for testing publication bias.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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