Information in this post may be useful for the learning outcome "The effect of social factors on cognitive processes". I have just read the book "IBrain. Surviving the technological alteration of the modern mind" and I will summarize some of its' key points here.
Because of the plasticity of the brain, our minds are being altered by the use of technology, such as computers and television. This may also be the case for other technologies, such as books and some researchers believe that tool use had a significant effect on the brain development of our ancestors. In summary, it can be said that computer may alter our attention span, our ability to multi-task, our self esteem, our intelligence, our memory, our aggression, our empathy and our social relationships. It can also lead to burn-out and addiction. Our intelligence may be improved by computer use. Small, Bookheimer and Moody conducted MRI scans on people conducting google search. It was a natural experiment where the researchers included those who were frequent internet users and those who did not use internet frequently. The researchers also included a control task where the participants were scanned while reading a book. The results showed that just after 5 hours the computer naive subjects had rewired the area of their brain called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. It is an area related to working memory and our our ability making decisions and integrating complex information. As a matter of fact, the average IQ scores are rising constantly every year. This is know as the Flynn effect. Our stress levels and our attention span can be affected by too much computer use. Linda Stone has coined the term continuos partial attention to describe the computer behavior of keeping track on everything but having a hard time focusing on anything (because of constant messaging and e-mailing). Being in this continuosly stressful alert state may eventually create techno burn out. The constant flow of the information on internet can also create stress. My blog is actually an example of how I try to keep track of every new information I can find related to psychology, and it is quite stressful. Computers may also increase our ability to multi-task. Multi-tasking allows for computer uses to get instant gratification, but it may also distract them, put them out of focus, create stress and make them work inefficiently. It is even suggested that technology such as television, video and computers contribute to the risk of attention deficit disorders (such as ADHD), especially if a person is exposed to the technology in early childhood. It is important to emphasize, however, that this research is mainly correlational, and it may also be that individuals with ADHD-like symptoms are more attracted to technology (because of its instant gratifications) than other individuals. In general, our attention and memory seem to diminish just while we are using computers. A personal example is that I find it harder to concentrate while reading a pdf file on a screen that reading the actual book or print-out. One research study showed that participants were more likely to remember information that was typed into a computer if they were told that the information would not be saved (as in comparison in that it would be saved) This is called the google effect; because we rely so much on search engines nowadays we often don't make an effort to remember information. Internet use can also have an effect on our self image and self esteem. I now remember a study that has correlated internet and facebook use and self esteem. People who use internet a lot tend to have lower self esteem and vice versa. Interestingly enough, the amount of pictures of yourself that you have on facebook is positively correlated with your self esteem. It can be assumed that the effect of internet on your self esteem can alter your brain. Lupien and colleagues have found that your self esteem is related to the size of your hippocampus. The bigger your ego, the larger your hippocampus. One danger of excessive computer use may be a diminished ability to read emotions and social signals of others. There is limited research on this, but the main argument behind this claim is that adolescence is an important period for the brain to develop empathic abilities, and if teenagers spend their most of their time alone with a computer, they miss vital time to develop social skills. There is a fear that obsession with technology delays social and reasoning abilities and impairs capacity to delay gratification (because computer games and multi media give constant and instant gratification) Interestingly enough, a psychological disorder that relates to social problems, autism, is also related to technology use. The more an individual is exposed to technology, the more likely he is to suffer from autism. As in the ADHD case, however, it may just be that technology attracts autistic individuals. There are also many types of psychological disorders that come out technology use, such as addiction to gaming, gambling, social networking, and online shopping. There are also psychological diseases that can be spread online through peer pressure or mass hysteria. Other psychological phenomena related to internet are online suicide clubs or internet suicides (where the suicide kills himself in public via the internet). Morgellons' disease is a disorder where the person believes that he has been infected by parasites through internet use. It is most likely a type of delusional parasitosis, where the sufferer has a false belief that he is infected by parasites and can feel them crawling under his skin.
4 Comments
Book
1/3/2012 05:11:50 pm
Very fun read!
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Mr Hansson
1/14/2012 10:52:55 am
Glad that you liked it, Book!
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6/13/2012 08:25:43 pm
I like your site, and am trying to find your RSS link to add
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7/17/2012 01:32:57 am
Thanks for the tips, maybe I can use this svelte my noesis marketing and Iove been use whatsoever ethnical media in try a interaction and they eff handiwork a big friendliness on me.I am happy to find this post very useful for me, as it contains lot of information.
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AuthorThis is my class blog for IB Psychology. Here I will publish reflections on psychology, reviews of psychology books, recommended links, lecture notes, and information on psychology topics that are not covered by the syllabus. You are free to add comments or ask me questions. Archives
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