Better together? Effects of task complexity and social setting on performance and cognitive load

Framed within Cognitive Load Theory, this study investigated the effects of task complexity on performance, cognitive load, and efficiency on performance and cognitive load in an online learning environment. Using a between-subjects design, university students ( n = 85) completed a set of tasks varying in complexity (low vs. high) either individually or in a group. It built on previous studies showing that task complexity and cognitive load significantly influence the efficiency of individual and group learning in an offline setting—groups perform better than individuals on high-complexity tasks, while individuals perform better than groups on low-complexity tasks. Results show higher performance, lower cognitive load, and higher efficiency on low-complexity than on high-complexity tasks. Surprisingly, collaboration improved performance on low-complexity tasks, whereas it reduced performance on high-complexity tasks. These results emphasize the importance of validating educational principles in online educational settings that are originally tested in offline settings. Ultimately, these findings can contribute to the optimization of online collaborative learning and the development of efficient instructions that balance both performance and cognitive load.