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EARTHDATE: July 17, 2011

Official News page 5


REAL LIFE NEWS: GOOGLE MAKES YOU... ERM...

by Hazed

Scientists claim that using search engines is changing the way our brains work, so that we all become more... what's the word... you know... oh yes, forgetful.

Betsy Sparrow, a psychologist from Columbia University, led the research into the impact of the internet on the brain. The findings have been published in a paper called "Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips."

The study performed experiments on students from Harvard and Columbia Universities. The results were that they were less likely to remember trivial facts if they knew they could get them from search engines.

"Since the advent of search engines, we are reorganizing the way we remember things," Prof Sparrow explained. "Our brains rely on the internet for memory in much the same way they rely on the memory of a friend, family member or co-worker. We remember less through knowing information itself than by knowing where the information can be found."

The tests showed that those using search engines do not recall information they believe has been saved for future reference as easily as they remember things they think have been deleted from the search engine. They were also much better at remember the location of information, than the information itself.

What this means for the future of the pub quiz, I don't know!

You can read the exact details of the tests conducted here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/07/15/google_impacts_memory/


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