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Critical thinking declines as technology advances
by Scott Gilbreath ~ January 29th, 2009
A UCLA psychology professor has linked deteriorating critical thinking skills with advancing technology. She tries to put a positive spin on her findings by arguing that technology has boosted visual skills, but I think wise people would generally view that as small compensation for an important loss.
As technology has played a bigger role in our lives, our skills in critical thinking and analysis have declined, while our visual skills have improved, according to research by Patricia Greenfield, UCLA distinguished professor of psychology and director of the Children’s Digital Media Center, Los Angeles.
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Reading for pleasure, which has declined among young people in recent decades, enhances thinking and engages the imagination in a way that visual media such as video games and television do not, Greenfield said.
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“By using more visual media, students will process information better,” she said. “However, most visual media are real-time media that do not allow time for reflection, analysis or imagination — those do not get developed by real-time media such as television or video games. Technology is not a panacea in education, because of the skills that are being lost.“Studies show that reading develops imagination, induction, reflection and critical thinking, as well as vocabulary,” Greenfield said. “Reading for pleasure is the key to developing these skills. Students today have more visual literacy and less print literacy. Many students do not read for pleasure and have not for decades.”
Dr Greenfield found that students who accessed the internet during lectures did not learn as much as did students without internet access, leading her to conclude that multi-tasking “prevents people from getting a deeper understanding of information.”
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January 29th, 2009 at 05:03 PM
In spite of being technophile, I am eternally grateful to my mother for introducing me to Worzel Gummidge, The Famous Five, Wind in the Willows and other literary delights at an early age.
Nothing quite matches the pleasure of a good book.