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Science & Technology
Cognitive offloading: How the Internet is increasingly taking over human memory
2017-03-01
[Science Daily] Our increasing reliance on the Internet and the ease of access to the vast resource available online is affecting our thought processes for problem solving, recall and learning. In a new article, researchers have found that 'cognitive offloading', or the tendency to rely on things like the Internet as an aide-mémoire, increases after each use.

We might think that memory is something that happens in the head but increasingly it is becoming something that happens with the help of agents outside the head. Benjamin Storm, Sean Stone & Aaron Benjamin conducted experiments to determine our likelihood to reach for a computer or smartphone to answer questions.

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Posted by:Besoeker

#11  What internet? Hey Siri how many atoms in the universe? About 10 to the 80. Hey Siri what time is the Trump speech? Nine pm eastern. Hey Siri how do you milk a goat?
Posted by: KBK   2017-03-01 23:17  

#10  Knowledge is mainly knowing where to look stuff up.
Posted by: Creling Pelosi3622   2017-03-01 17:01  

#9  What the internet is doing is making what you know less valuable, but at the same time making what you know how to do more valuable. At least in a relative sense.

If I have an academic question, I use the internet to find the answer. If I have a water leak, I still call a plumber.
Posted by: phil_b   2017-03-01 14:05  

#8  Magpie, I used basically the same argument years ago when teaching Electrical Theory to field electricians.

I'd buy a cheap calculator, carry it up a six foot ladder during the class, and drop it.

The question then asked was "Well, what do you do now?"

Those folks still carry pencils/pens and notepads to this day and thank me when I see them for the lesson learned.
Posted by: Mullah Richard   2017-03-01 13:19  

#7  I can sort of see his point. You can read about something in books all you want but until you go out and do it yourself you'll never really know.
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2017-03-01 12:49  

#6  Variations of this argument have been going on for millennia. Socrates was against writing.
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2017-03-01 12:47  

#5  Yup; assisted in one of those deals at the high school where the students get a budget and have to go pay for rent, food, clothes, car, etc.

Had items added and written receipt before student had their HHD calculator app opened.

Got a laugh from the circle when I declared that when my daughter asks for a phone, I am going to get her a rotary and a phone book. I am not sure if I was joking or not.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2017-03-01 11:27  

#4  First there were phone numbers,
then there was a contact list,
from that, speed dial.

Now, it's "Hey Siri, get me a pizza"

Moved from a fact retention mission to operational posture.
Posted by: Skidmark   2017-03-01 11:22  

#3  Years ago I had to "re-learn" mental calculation. After years of using a hand held calculator there I was in a subzero warehouse doing inventory and pulling orders. Ever see how a LCD responds to -10 F? People are adaptable, D'Oh!
Posted by: magpie   2017-03-01 10:08  

#2  In the pre-print society that was the function of 'old' people. They were the memory storage of the community and thus much valued. The term 'elders' had a bit more esteem attached to it than today.

Given the abysmal state of and education system which pushes Marxist mush at all levels, don't expect any change in 'memory' retention in a 'memory' hole world.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2017-03-01 09:03  

#1  Yea, so what? People in preliterate cultures have much better memory than people in literate cultures. It's the same thing.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2017-03-01 08:28  

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