Cognitive load and cognitive effort : probing the psychological reality of a conceptual difference

The cognitive demands associated with performing a task involve at least two dimensions: (1) the load dimension that is related to the assumed task difficulty and (2) the effort dimension that reflects the resources invested in a task. This study considers whether this distinction is actually relevant to translators and interpreters when they report load and effort and, if so, how the assumed psychological reality of these two dimensions is related to task performance. In this study, professional translators and interpreters performed naturalistic tasks with comparable stimuli, working from English into German. After each task, they were asked to rate their experienced load and effort as part of the NASA Task Load Index. Their performance was measured by analysing process and product indicators that correspond in interpreting and translation. Results indicate that while self-reported load and effort are highly correlated, their relationships to process or product measures appear to be more complex