Each new technology raises concerns about how they will negatively affect our ability to think, retain and process information. But these technologies don’t detract from our cognitive abilities.
Some scientific findings have been interpreted to suggest that digital technology can lead to poorer memory, attention or executive functioning. Upon scrutiny of these assertions, however, one notices two important argumentative assumptions. The first assumption is that the impact has a lasting effect on long-term cognitive abilities. The second assumption is that digital technology has a direct, unmoderated impact on cognition. Both assumptions, however, are not directly supported by empirical findings.
A critical examination of the evidence suggests that the demonstrated effects have been temporary, not long-term. For example, in a prominent study investigating people’s reliance on external forms of memory, participants were less likely to remember pieces of information when they were told this information would be saved on a computer and they would have access to it. On the other hand, they remembered the information better when they were told it would not be saved.
There is a temptation to conclude from these findings that using technology leads to poorer memory — a conclusion that the authors of the study did not draw. When technology was available, people relied on it, but when it was not available, people were still perfectly capable of remembering. As such it would be hasty to conclude that technology impairs our ability to remember.
Furthermore, the effect of digital technology on cognition could be due to how motivated someone is, rather than their cognitive processes. Indeed, cognitive processes operate in the context of goals for which our motivations may vary. Specifically, the more motivating a task is, the more engaged and focused we are. This perspective recasts experimental evidence showing that smartphones undermine performance on tasks of sustained attention, working memory or functional fluid intelligence.
Motivational factors are likely to play a role in research results, especially considering that research participants often find the tasks they are asked to do for the study inconsequential or boring. Because there are a lot of important tasks that we carry out using digital technology, such as keeping in touch with loved ones, responding to emails and enjoying entertainment, it is possible that digital technology undermines the motivational value of an experimental task.
Importantly, this means that digital technology does not harm cognition; if a task is important or engaging, smartphones would not undermine people’s ability to perform it.
