Systematic literature review of cognitive load and ego-depletion in policing
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Cognitive load refers to demands on memory; which when exceeded can lead to overload (Ayres & Paas, 2009; Gawrylowicz et al., 2016; Sweller & Chandler, 1991; Sweller et al., 2011), thus depleting mental resources, termed ego-depletion (Baumeister et al., 2007), further undermining performance. Research suggests that police officers are cognitively overloaded (Albuquerque et al., 2020; Dube & Robinson, 2024) and that these high levels of cognitive load affect judgement and integrity within the legal context (Davis et al., 2017; Frosina et al., 2018; Kleider-Offutt et al., 2016). However, little research has explored the long-term career consequences of such overload (Baldwin et al., 2019; Planche et al., 2019). A systematic literature review will analyse the limited relevant body of research into a cohesive review. This research is essential to provide a detailed, insightful analysis of the field, and potential connections between cognitive load, ego-depletion, and early or medical retirement that might not be apparent in isolation. Findings will provide grounds to develop the semi-structured interview questions for a future planned piece of research and to guide interview processes. Inclusion criteria for this systematic literature review will be driven by previous research and adhere to the research pertaining to cognitive load or ego-depletion in policing, using a police officer study population.
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7167238809