title: Measuring physician cognitive load: validity evidence for a physiologic and a psychometric tool.
abstract: In general, researchers attempt to quantify cognitive load using physiologic and psychometric measures. Although the construct measured by both of these metrics is thought to represent overall cognitive load, there is a paucity of studies that compares these techniques to one another. The authors compared data obtained from one physiologic tool (pupillometry) to one psychometric tool (Paas scale) to explore whether they actually measured the construct of cognitive load as purported. Thirty-two participants with a range of resuscitation medicine experience and expertise completed resuscitation-medicine based multiple-choice-questions as well as arithmetic questions. Cognitive load, as measured by both tools, was found to be higher for the more difficult questions as well as for questions that were answered incorrectly (p < 0.001). The group with the least medical experience had higher cognitive load than both the intermediate and experienced groups when answering domain-specific questions (p = 0.023 and p = 0.003 respectively for the physiologic tool; p = 0.006 and p < 0.001 respectively for the psychometric tool). There was a strong positive correlation (Spearman's ρ = 0.827, p < 0.001 for arithmetic questions; Spearman's ρ = 0.606, p < 0.001 for medical questions) between the two cognitive load measurement tools. These findings support the validity argument that both physiologic and psychometric metrics measure the construct of cognitive load.
authors: Department of Emergency Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston General Hospital, 76 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON, K7L 2V7, Canada.
authors: Adam
authors: A
authors: Szulewski
authors: Institut für Qualität und Weiterbildung, Technische Hochschule Deggendorf, Edlmairstraße 9, 94469, Deggendorf, Germany.
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Gegenfurtner
authors: Departments of Emergency Medicine and Critical Care, Queen's University, Kingston General Hospital, 76 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON, K7L 2V7, Canada. howesd@kgh.kari.net.
authors: Daniel W
authors: DW
authors: Howes
authors: Departments of Emergency Medicine and Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Kingston General Hospital, 76 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON, K7L 2V7, Canada.
authors: Marco L A
authors: MLA
authors: Sivilotti
authors: Department of Educational Development and Research, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 60, Room N.5.06, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors: Jeroen J G
authors: JJG
authors: van Merriënboer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D053483:Eye Movement Measurements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D011582:Psychological Theory; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012151:Resuscitation / Q000193:education*
keywords: Cognitive load; Expertise; Eye-tracking; Psychometrics; Pupillometry; Resuscitation; Validity