# Cognitive Load — VoiceNet dimension guide

*Category:* Physical Production · *code:* `vn_COGL` · *slot:* 59

This dimension measures the mental friction involved in formulating speech. Merge the `__high` / `__low` LoRA from `laion/moss-voicenet-dimension-loras` at 25/50/75/100/125%. Costs are shifts vs. the 24-sample neutral baseline.

**TL;DR.** **Cognitive Load** controls the mental friction involved in formulating speech. The **__high** LoRA shifts it +0.08 at 100% (worst cost: speech quality -0.11); the **__low** LoRA shifts it -0.17 at 100% (worst cost: burst-blend -0.33). The **__low** direction is the stronger, more reliable knob here.

## ▲ HIGH — Cognitive Load __high

| dose | target | Δtarget | Δgenu | Δblend | Δqual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| baseline (0%) | 0.322 | — | — | — | — |
| 25% | 0.309 | -0.01 | -0.02 | -0.06 | -0.03 |
| 50% | 0.323 | +0.00 | -0.02 | -0.01 | +0.00 |
| 75% | 0.333 | +0.01 | +0.02 | +0.07 | -0.07 |
| 100% ★ | 0.398 | +0.08 | +0.07 | +0.01 | -0.11 |
| 125% | 0.332 | +0.01 | +0.03 | +0.09 | -0.05 |

- **EmoNet emotion** — ↑ Sadness (+0.53), Fear (+0.49), Helplessness (+0.47); ↓ Contentment (-0.52), Pleasure/Ecstasy (-0.42), Hope/Enthusiasm/Optimism (-0.37)
- **VoiceNet dimension** — ↑ Disfluency (+0.72), Tension (+0.64), Genuineness (+0.57); ↓ Recording Quality (-0.72), Teacher/Didactic Style (-0.69), Velocity Flux (-0.66)

Merging **Cognitive Load __high** lifts the dimension: at the recommended **100%** dose the measured Cognitive Load score moves from a 0.32 baseline to 0.40 (a +0.08 shift). The dose-response is clean and monotonic — each step pushes the dimension further. That reach is a modest cost — the biggest hit is to **speech quality** (-0.11); across the board genuineness +0.07, burst-blend +0.01, speech quality -0.11. Emotionally it reads as Sadness (r 0.53), Fear (0.49) and Helplessness (0.47), and it moves away from Contentment, Pleasure/Ecstasy and Hope/Enthusiasm/Optimism. On other voice dimensions it co-moves most with Disfluency (0.72), Tension (0.64) and Genuineness (0.57), while pulling down Recording Quality, Teacher/Didactic Style and Velocity Flux. Practical call: merge __high at **75–100%**; expect Sadness and Disfluency to rise and speech quality to fall. If you don’t want Sadness bleeding in, offset it with a prompt cue toward Contentment to keep the cognitive load shift without the side-effect.

## ▼ LOW — Cognitive Load __low

| dose | target | Δtarget | Δgenu | Δblend | Δqual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| baseline (0%) | 0.322 | — | — | — | — |
| 25% | 0.262 | -0.06 | -0.04 | -0.08 | -0.06 |
| 50% | 0.280 | -0.04 | -0.07 | -0.05 | +0.05 |
| 75% | 0.171 | -0.15 | -0.04 | -0.08 | -0.02 |
| 100% ★ | 0.150 | -0.17 | -0.10 | -0.33 | +0.09 |
| 125% | 0.181 | -0.14 | -0.10 | -0.37 | -0.01 |

- **EmoNet emotion** — ↑ Fatigue/Exhaustion (+0.38), Longing (+0.33), Helplessness (+0.29); ↓ Contempt (-0.41), Sourness (-0.40), Teasing (-0.30)
- **VoiceNet dimension** — ↑ Disfluency (+0.70), Vulnerability (+0.55), Perceived Gender (+0.47); ↓ Brightness (-0.69), Background Noise (-0.67), Chunking (-0.66)

Merging **Cognitive Load __low** suppresses the dimension: at the recommended **100%** dose the measured Cognitive Load score moves from a 0.32 baseline to 0.15 (a -0.17 shift). The dose-response is mostly ordered but noisy between doses. That reach is a steep cost — the biggest hit is to **burst-blend** (-0.33); across the board genuineness -0.10, burst-blend -0.33, speech quality +0.09. Emotionally it reads as Fatigue/Exhaustion (r 0.38), Longing (0.33) and Helplessness (0.29), and it moves away from Contempt, Sourness and Teasing. On other voice dimensions it co-moves most with Disfluency (0.70), Vulnerability (0.55) and Perceived Gender (0.47), while pulling down Brightness, Background Noise and Chunking. Practical call: merge __low at **75–100%**; expect Fatigue/Exhaustion and Disfluency to rise and burst-blend to fall. If you don’t want Fatigue/Exhaustion bleeding in, offset it with a prompt cue toward Contempt to keep the cognitive load shift without the side-effect.

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