In the last post, we noted the common description of Neuropsychology as the study of brain-behaviour relationships. Raz and Buhle (2006) highlight that attention "exemplifies the links between the brain and behaviour" so attention seemed like the logical next topic.
Modern work environments place substantial demands on attention. Competing deadlines, rapid context switching, and constant digital interruptions all contribute to this demand. These pressures interact with our cognitive abilities in predictable ways, influencing performance, decision quality, and wellbeing.
Attention is not a singular concept or phenomena. Attention is underpinned by varied brain networks (functional neural pathways) that support different aspects of our attentional abilities. That is, the selection of where we attend, the ability to focus and sustain attention, the ability to hold information in mind and manipulate it for use (known as working memory), the ability to inhibit distraction, and the ability to flexibly switch our attention in line with a functional requirement or objective.
Each of us will recognise through our own experience that we have an attentional limit. Attention, and most specifically working memory, is a limited resource.
Cognitive load
Cognitive load refers to the amount of mental effort required to process information to complete a task or objective. Greater mental effort is required as the demand on our cognitive abilities increases towards their capacity. The capacity limit of our attention reflects a key bottleneck in the human cognitive system.
When cognitive load rises beyond what our attentional system can comfortably manage, the effectiveness and efficiency of our brain's cognitive abilities reduces, and the load is experienced as stress. This stress compounds the cognitive load issue, further impacting upon cognitive processes. This includes how we allocate our attention, how effectively we store information to memory, our problem-solving effectiveness, our weighing up appropriate courses of action, and how we engage in interpersonal interactions.
Understanding why this happens—and how to design work to optimise cognitive performance without negative stress impacts—has become essential for organisations committed to safe, sustainable performance.
Intrinsic vs extraneous cognitive load of a task
Tasks make varied demand on our cognitive abilities. Implementing a well learned skill is not as effortful as novel problem solving or new learning. The context and environment in which a task is performed also contribute to the demand on our cognitive abilities. Performing under time constraints, in difficult environmental conditions or for extended periods makes greater demand on cognitive resources.
This can be considered as:
- Intrinsic load: the complexity inherent to the core task requirements and objective. Intrinsic load can be reviewed and continually improved through task and environmental design (work design).
- Extraneous load: the mental effort required by contextual aspects of the task. Extraneous load can be controlled through design of the system and management of work (e.g. unclear workflows, fragmented information, unnecessary steps) to reduce extraneous load.
Attention, Cognitive Load and Stress
Stress, attention and cognitive load have a reciprocal relationship:
- Stress impacts attentional allocation The brain tends to prioritise monitoring of stressors which is utilising valuable cognitive resources and can be detrimental to complex reasoning.
- Reduced working memory capacity under stress. Monitoring and addressing stress uses working memory. This leaves less available in our capacity-limited system for other activities making multitasking, planning, learning and problem-solving feel more effortful and potentially distressing.
- Switching attention between tasks becomes slower and distractibility may lead to more errors
The combination of our attentional capacity, cognitive load and stress has impact at work (as in life) in the risk of:
- Increased error rates
- Slower decision-making
- Reduced problem solving and innovative thinking
- Lower engagement and performance
Designing Work to Reduce Load and Stress
Organisations can contribute to reducing stress associated with work-related cognitive load through work design.
1. Reduce unnecessary complexity in the work environment
Clarify processes, minimise duplication, remove redundant steps, and learn from work-as-done to simplify the work environment. Reduction of cognitive comp
2. Protect uninterrupted focus time according to role requirements
Batch collaborative and administrative time; minimise interruptions to productive work periods; create predictable blocks for deep focus work; and, limit unproductive meetings.
3. Manageable timeframes and clear communication
Clear communication is needed from all parties to manage timeframes (and workloads). Establish what are realistic and manageable timeframes for project deadlines, and in the day-to-day shared understanding of collaborative processes working towards shared objectives. Uncertainty breeds stress, particularly interpersonal uncertainty as we are social beings. Clear communication of personal workload pressures, priorities, work style or communication preferences, changes in plan, can all help in reducing stress. It is always better to communicate ("I don't know", "unfortunately no" or "no") than silence or actively ignoring.
3. Support novices and new employees
Tailoring onboarding and training to cognitive load principles improves learning, supports early performance and reduces unique psychosocial hazards amongst new employees, or those in a new role, who have an inherently high cognitive load based on the higher degree of new learning required.
4. Simplify information access and flows
Use single sources of truth, consistent templates, and clean user interfaces.
5. Use AI deliberately to reduce work load—not skill
AI can take on repetitive, low-complexity, high-volume tasks, freeing humans to focus on work requiring judgment, empathy and multi-step reasoning.
This reduces cognitive load and preserves cognitive capacity for higher order activity that offers value capture and value creation.
Attention sits at the interface of our brain, our behaviour and our environments. As a capacity limited resource, attention is central in a dynamic, interrelated system that defines how we respond to the work demands placed on us by our environment and the stress that may generate from those intrinsic and extraneous demands. Understanding of our human cognitive capacities and their inherent bottlenecks guides the design of work systems, tasks and environments that optimise attentional resources for strategic advantage, rather than their depletion as a psychosocial risk.
References:
Eysenck, M. W., Derakshan, N., Santos, R., & Calvo, M. G. (2007). Anxiety and cognitive performance: Attentional control theory. Emotion, 7(2), 336–353. https://doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.7.2.336
Raz, A., & Buhle, J. (2006). Typologies of attentional networks. Nature reviews neuroscience, 7(5), 367-379.
Sweller, J. (2011). Cognitive load theory. In Psychology of Learning and Motivation (Vol. 55, pp. 37–76). Elsevier.