Search engines have changed the way we use the Internet, putting vast sources of information just a few clicks away. But Harvard professor of psychology Line Daniel Wegner’s recent research proves that websites and the Internet are changing much more than technology itself. They are changing the way our memories function. Wegner’s latest study shows that when people have access to search engines, they remember fewer facts and less information because they know they can rely on “search” as a readily available shortcut.
Wegner believes the new findings show that the Internet has become part of a transactive memory source, a method by which our brains divide information, which means you don’t have to remember everything in the world yourself. You just have to remember who knows it. Now computers and technology are becoming virtual extensions of our memory.
Wegner conducted several experiments to demonstrate the phenomenon, using various forms of memory recall to test reliance on computers. In one experiment, participants demonstrated that they were more likely to think of computer terms like “Yahoo” or “Google” after being asked a set of difficult trivia questions. In another experiment, participants typed some statements into a computer and they were told the statements would be saved in specific folders. Next, they were asked to recall the statements. Finally, they were given cues to the wording and asked to name the folders where the statements were stored. The participants proved better able to recall the folder locations than the statements themselves.
Wegner admits that questions remain about whether dependence on computers will affect memories negatively: “Nobody knows now what the effects of these tools are on logical thinking.” Students who have trouble remembering distinct facts, for example, may struggle to employ those facts in critical thinking. But he believes that the situation overall is beneficial, comparing dependence on computers to dependence on a mechanical hand or other prosthetic device.
And even though we may not be using our memories to recall distinct facts, we are still using them to consider where the facts are located and how to access them. “We still have to remember things,” Wegner explains. “We’re just remembering a different range of things.” He believes his study will lead to further research into understanding computer dependence, and looks forward to tracing the extent of human interdependence with the computer world — pinpointing the “movable dividing line between us and our computers in cyber networks.”
32. From the experiment, when asked to provide facts that are not familiar to them, people tend to ________.
A.think of specific information sources | B.type into computer and remember them |
C.recall them from their deep memories | D.link the unfamiliar facts to their experiences |
33. Which one can be an example of the transactive memory?
A.An actor organizes today’s schedule with his agent. |
B.A student asks his teacher for today’s homework. |
C.A husband relies on his wife to remember a relative’s birthday |
D.A boss asks the staff about the performance of the previous month. |
34. Which of the following can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A.Computer dependence affects our thinking capacities in other distinct fields. |
B.Reliance on computers does not necessarily reduce human memory. |
C.Computers have helped people to understand the memory system better. |
D.Researches should be done to reveal the side effect of computer dependence. |
35. Which of the following can serve as the best title?
A.Wegner’s Research Has Pinpointed The Dividing Line |
B.Technological Networks Reshaping Our Brain Functions |
C.Human’s Memory Capability Becoming Inevitably Weaker |
D.Heavy Reliance On Computer For Storing More Information |