Metabolic reality of cognitive load

Abstract

Haueis and Colaço argue that metabolic constraints should prune and generate cognitive models. Cognitive load theory offers an applied framework for testing these constraints. Working memory load can be viewed as the behavioral expression of local ATP limits. Primary–secondary knowledge, embodied offloading, and instructional efficiency map onto bioenergetic trade-offs. Extending CLT to human–AI symbiosis further shows how shared systems can support dynamic load balancing and testable metabolic predictions.