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Context specificity, or the variation in a participant’s performance from one case, or situation, to the next, is a recognized problem in medical education. However, studies have not explored the potential reasons for context specificity in experts using the lens of situated cognition and cognitive load theories (CLT). Using these theories, we explored the influence of selected contextual factors on clinical reasoning performance in internal medicine experts. We constructed and validated a series of videotapes portraying different chief complaints for three common diagnoses seen in internal medicine. Using the situated cognition framework, we modified selected contextual factors—patient, encounter, and/or physician—in each videotape. Following each videotape, participants completed a post-encounter form (PEF) and a think-aloud protocol. A survey estimating recent exposure from their practice to the correct …