More and more people have started relying on the Internet to tell them things that had previously been stored only in memories, according to a recent study profiled in Science Magazine.
Research conducted by a team of American psychology professors showed as a result, the Internet is replacing certain cognitive functions typically used in memory.
Various experiments conducted by professors Betsy Sparrow, Jenny Liu and Daniel Wegner of Columbia University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Harvard University showed that if participants believed they would have access to information online later, they would not store it in their short-term memories as well.
Kathleen Grindrod-Millar, a third-year anthropology student at Carleton, said she is not immune to this effect. She described herself as a “super-low-tech person,” who does not rely on the Internet for her research in school. On reflection, she said she realized it has changed the way she goes about her day.
“I used to make an effort to memorize bus schedules,” she said, “but now I'll just travel-plan it.” She also admitted to sending herself text messages with information she wants to remember. “Now that we know we can verify things online, we don't trust [our own memories],” she speculated.
For Ben Cavell, a fourth-year Carleton student with a double major in humanities and history, the so-called “Google effect” is simply a function of common sense and convenience.
“I'm hardly a neurologist, but in general I think that we tend to remember highlights more than details,” Cavell said. “People are too lazy to do extra work when they don't have to.”