You Are Not So Smart 063 - The Search Effect - Matthew Fisher
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Nov 19, 2015 Matthew Fisher, a fifth-year grad student at Yale’s Cognition and Development Lab, dives into the intriguing effects of our internet usage on perception and memory. He reveals how easy access to search engines can inflate our sense of knowledge, making us believe we know more than we truly do. The discussion extends to collective knowledge and its implications on self-assessment of understanding, highlighting the cognitive biases we face. Fisher also touches on the paradox of social media's influence on stress, particularly among teenagers.
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Cognitive Tools Outsource Memory
- Cognitive tools extend our mental abilities like physical tools extend our bodies.
- Writing and external records let us outsource memory and access facts without internal storage.
People Form Shared Memory Networks
- Transactive memory arises when people rely on others to store specialized knowledge.
- Partners cue each other's memories and form a richer shared recall than individuals alone.
Internet As A Memory Partner
- The internet functions as an ideal transactive memory partner: fast, accurate, and always available.
- Over time people may conflate externally stored information with their own internal knowledge.