Search Engines Affect Our Memory

It appears that search engines are changing how we remember things. Over the last few weeks, numerous commentaries have appeared, discussing the fascinating results from Professor Betsy Sparrow's study at Columbia University. Professor Sparrow, a psychologist, conducted a study to determine what effects Google might have on our ability to recall information. The results were very interesting.

Without going into the full details of the study, the main takeaway appears to be that we are adapting to remember where information is located, rather than the actual information itself. This seems logical given that there is an infinite amount of information out there, and our minds are becoming adroit at "indexing" .

The study is a good reminder that technology has real effects on our minds. Remember how we used to know people's phone numbers? Or another question…how has spell check effected your spelling when attempting a hand written note?

Check out the full video interview with Professor Sparrow here. 

 

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