Internet Use Found To Affect Memory

An anonymous reader writes "The rise of Internet search engines has changed the way our brain remembers information, according to a new study out of Columbia University (abstract). 'We are reorganizing the way we remember things,' said the study's lead researcher. Because search engines like Google and Bing are so easily at hand, we feel less need to remember details that can be easily looked up. One possible upside: 'Perhaps those who teach in any context, be they college professors, doctors or business leaders, will become increasingly focused on imparting greater understanding of ideas and ways of thinking, and less focused on memorization. And perhaps those who learn will become less occupied with facts and more engaged in larger questions of understanding.'"

Re:All men rejoice

[mark-t]

No... because that should be in your Google calendar, and you'll receive a reminder when you visit it.

Re:A Smart man once said...

[Kenja]

Reminds me of this SMBC comic on the difference between a science fan and a scientist.

http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1777 [smbc-comics.com]

Understanding requires factual knowledge

[KalvinB]

You can't "understand" things if you don't have the "facts"

The brain is also far superior than Google in combining facts into new understandings. Google cannot relate Moby Dick and Treasure Island together. You have to actually read the books to know what each are saying so that your brain can extrapolate the common themes.

The idea that having "stubs" of knowledge in the most powerful computer on the planet and leaving the real meat of facts in the dumbest computers on the planet is somehow a good thing is just idiotic. Google is not going to link information together for you. You have to put the real meat of information into your head and then only your brain is capable of making connections to create real understanding.

Re:Supplements to improve memory

[gomiam]

You missed an ingredient: placebo ;)

Re:A Smart man once said...

[interkin3tic]

I think Einstein may have been overstating things. Some details may often be safely left in books, but a portion of the memorization I did in school has served me quite well, despite what I thought at the time. You have to build a framework of knowledge in any subject area to know what details you can look up in the first place, and having at least a foggy recollection of things you memorized at one time helps. "Is it in a book or not" is not a good standard for that.

Re:A Smart man once said...

[heathen_01]

I agree with your point. My example is the java JDK. Sure its searchable and indexed, however if you don't know you need to use a ReentrantLock it will (potentially) take a lot of searching before you realise that is what you need to use. However once you remember that you need a ReentrantLock then looking up what the constructor parameters are is invaluable.

Every 10 years computers change our brains

[scorp1us]

I remember back in college, they said "today's generation was losing focus ability for task-switching ability", much like the very computers creating the change. Now, we're ADD. Now, according to this, we won't remember a thing! So that's how computers come to take over. Not because they want to, but because they have to.

What really did my attention in though was my DVR. If I go distracted, I could just hit back and re-watch something. Except you can't do that in conversation. The ability to focus less often has I think changed my mind the most for the worse.