Modeling the Relationship Between Cognitive Load and Psychological Latency in Human Information Processing

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between psychological latency and cognitive load in human information processing. Psychological latency refers to the time delay between the presentation of a stimulus and the production of a response, while cognitive load represents the amount of mental effort required to process information. Drawing from cognitive psychology, working memory theory, and decision‑making research, this paper proposes a conceptual framework linking task complexity, cognitive load, working memory processes, and response latency. The study highlights how increasing task complexity raises cognitive demand, which in turn affects attention, memory retrieval, and decision speed. The framework provides implications for education, workplace design, healthcare decision systems, and human–computer interaction. By integrating classical theories with modern cognitive research, the paper contributes a structured conceptual model for understanding how mental workload influences human response time and performance.