Blame it on Insomnia

houseofmind:

Are Search Engines And Internet Use Making Our Brains Lazy?: The Effects of Having Information At Our Fingertips

A new era began with the advent of computers and the internet. The constant stream of open access to everything (really) and anything changed our lives. I mean, can you actually remember what your sources where before the internet? As one of the few that remembers sifting through library catalogs, I keep being amazed at the amount of phrases I can type into Google search and get results for… As a neuroscience student, I can’t help but being concerned about the impact that this may have on our (very plastic) brains. Sometimes I believe that the internet is making us dumber. But is it really?

In a recent Science paper, psychologists Betsy Sparrow, Jenny Liu and Daniel M. Wegner postulate a very interesting role for the internet- an external memory source where information is stored collectively outside ourselves. In psychology, this type of memory, often referred to in the literature as transactive memory, is not new. According to Wegner, when people are in dyads or groups, they form transactive memory systems in which they are able to create and access memory stores in other individuals. Thus, the authors questioned whether internet and search engines have become a primary transactive memory source. 

In a series of experiments, the authors tested participants who were asked to read and engage in a typing task for memory recall in order to study the nature of how we encode online information. The studies found evidence for an adaptive use of memory involved in information storage and recall. 

1. When participants believed that information would be available later in the future (as happens when using search engines), they had worse information recall. Apparently, participants did not make the effort to remember or encode the trivia facts if they thought they could look them up later.
2. Believing that the information would not be available in the future enhanced memory for the information itself. Believing that the information will be necessary in the future (like in exams) also increased memory recall. 
3. On the other hand, believing that the information was stored externally (similar to bookmarking pages or going through internet history), enhanced memory recall for the fact that the information could be accessed but not for the memory itself. 
4. Overall, participants recalled the places where their statements were kept better than they recalled the statements/information itself (see figure above)

It seems like that when information is presented in a transactive memory system, the location (or “where”)  of a memory is favored over the identity (the “what”) of the memory. Is this a result of our brain adapting to new information/communication technology? As our reliance on computers and gadgets increases, are we becoming symbiotic with these tools?

Sources: 

Sparrow, B., Liu, J. and Wegner DM. 2011. Google effects on memory: cognitive consequences of having information at our fingertips. Science. 333 (6043): 776-8. 

(via thisisnotpsychology)

(via kushandwizdom)

Wasn’t there a funeral for that word 5 years ago?

bangaduck:

how much do i love this?

selftransformingelfmachine:

godiseven:

brobituary:

rottenweiler:

kimbb:

Legolas felt his breath catch as the Man—The Rock, they had called him when he’d entered the tavern, whispered in tones of mixed awe and anxiety—slid into the seat across from him, holding two tankards of ale. He pushed one toward Legolas, his muscles bunching with the motion; his dark skin shone in beautiful contrast to Legolas’ in the torchlight. Legolas was accustomed to Men being… rangier. Dwarves, they were stocky and built up like this, but they were also short, which The Rock was definitely not. He was, as many things in the world of Men were, novel.

Legolas grabbed the tankard and raised it to him with a slight smile. “Many thanks.”

“No problem, Beautiful,” The Rock replied…………….

“Ah, Legolas;” Said the elf, lips barely parting in a subtle smile that the Rock could have seen had only he taken his vision from his astonishing eyes. “You may call me Legolas.”

“Really?” Replied the Rock grinning much more unabashedly, “I think the name I gave ya’ suits just fine!” The blonde laughed quietly against the rim of the tankard, adding something barely audible. “So does yours.”

“And so— My dear “The Rock”, what brings you to these parts?”

The Rock’s smile faded slightly, turning into something bittersweet- but before Legolas’ eyes, something arguably more beautiful. “I got tired of chasin’ dreams.” The larger man peered into the amber drink, smacking his lips but withholding a taste; like a sweet nectar he couldn’t pursue. “Chasin’ teeth.”

He stood up, finally taking another sip before leaving it for the drunkards to dispose of. “But if the people here are half as pretty as you, s’pose I’ll be stayin’ for a while.” Legolas, already finished his drink, arose as well. “Then how about I show you around?”

The Rock crossed his arms in a fairly sassy manner. “What’s the catch?”

“Your name,” Legolas answered without hesitation. “Your real name.”

That infectious laughter again. “Didn’t you hear?” He quipped in smooth baritone. “The Rock.” The man ran a set of thick, finely tanned fingers through a lock of the elf’s golden hair “Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson.”

WHAT THE FUCK

true art exists in this world.

I must find the rest of this story.