i am now a doctor, please address me as such.*

I have my PhD! It is such a great feeling to have all of that stress behind me, and to be able to start looking forward. Oh yeah, and emails from faculty members that begin "Dear Dr. DeLeeuw" are pretty great, too.
















My dissertation focused on the cognitive load that learners experience during learning from computer-based multimedia lessons. In two studies, I tested whether extraneous cognitive load, such as unnecessary text on the screen, affects processing in working memory or whether it affects perceptual processing. Using a paradigm that has been able to distinguish between working memory load and perceptual load (Lavie, 2005), I tested these two possibilities via two different measurement technologies -- eye tracking and EEG (electroencephalogram). What did I find? Extraneous cognitive load in the form of unnecessary text on the screen tends to mainly affect perceptual processing rather than working memory processing. Kinda cool -- nobody has shown this distinction before.

So, enough with the jargon and smart-talk. It's time to celebrate!


*Quote stolen from D's facebook status on the day he earned his PhD. =)