Technology makes kids dumb!

An interesting article I discovered on Loïc le Meur's blog.

Modern technology depletes human cognitive abilities more rapidly than drugs, and is dumbing down the population more rapidly than television according to a psychiatric study conducted at King's College, London.

Messaging users suffered a 10 per cent drop in IQ scores, more than twice the fall recorded by marijuana users, in a clinical trial of over a thousand participants. Doziness, lethargy and an inability to focus are classic characteristics of a spliffhead, but messaging users exhibited these particular symptoms to a "startling" degree, according to the study.

Another study of 100,000 school children in over 30 countries around the world testified that non-computer using kids performed better in literacy and numeracy than PC-using children who neglect their homework. Awash with facts, children don’t know what to do with the information they access, how to prioritize. They lose their creativity and imagination, their ability to analyze and build coherent arguments, they've forgotten how to think.... Education experts have dubbed it the "problem solving deficit disorder".

Extract from theregister.co.uk, April 22, 2005

Ok girls, I need your constructive comments on this with the right facts, arguments and counter-examples, quick! Otherwise, my friends who think I'm crazy to let each of you own a computer and do what you want with it are right. And I should put a halt to all of this for your IQ's, your EQ's and your critical thinking’s sake...

Comments

[Julie]

Just look at my bulletin de notes and remember all the interesting conversations we've had the past few years (since we've been messaging users and quite active messaging users I might add...) and you will see that all your friends who think you're crazy can think whatever they want every one is entitled to their own opinion... I don't have arguments examples or counter examples I just know that if I didn't have my messaging system I wouldn't be able to talk to all my friends over the world... And if you're so concerned with our I.Qs, E.Qs or whatever because of technology let's talk about you're case shall we? Because you're the perfect example of someone who spends her time in front of her computer and I doubt your I.Q, E.Q or crtitical abilities have been changed since you're using computers and experiencing the technology... even if you probably do things that are more constructive than we do. I hope you'll be satisfied with your answer...
Ju

[Celine]

Well... as Julie said our grades never dropped out because of the computer, we never neglected our homework because of the computer, our attention in class or to any other kind of conversations did not fall... "Doziness, lethargy and an inability to focus are classic characteristics of a spliffhead" doziness can be caused by the fact that the computer screen is very bright and it gives headaches... if your kid or you are connected too long hours at night on the computer of course there will be cases of lethargy... and computers don't make an inability to focus they actually arise that ability because when you are concentrated on a screen for a large amount of time you maybe don't pay attention to what is happening around you but you know everything that is happening on your screen... Don't blame your kid's grade drop on the computer if his/her grades drops it's not because of the computer it's because he/she doesn't want to work (classic case of lazyness in teenagers...) Computer games and chats are just what they do instead... if those didn't exist they would play with something else!!! As Julie already said we use our computer mostly for chatting because our best friends live in a different time zone and country and that it's much cheaper than phone and much more efficient than mail!!! I hope this comment suits you!!!
Cé

[Alice]

Well, mum, if you look at our grades that are increasing you will note that we are not becomming complete idiots because we have a computer. You should also see that we do a lot of research on the intetnet so we use it correctly. We also type homework and stuff like that so it is not really affecting our brain. It is still in place and can still fubction and maybe even better then before. As Julie said (I will rephrase it) LOOK WHO'S TALKING for you are also spending your time on your computer and musculing your fingers (old private joke). So you can not blame us for spending to much time on the computer. can you? Maybe you do more "intelectual" stuff then we do but the doziness wil be the same, like Celine said, for it comes from the screen and not the things in it.
We still thank you for the comps.

[AJR]

I think that yes under the old ways of measurement we are diminishing our intellect.
indded the ability to not need memorise any kind of data does diminish our intellect.

But when something diminishes, something else increases.

So in a cognitive aspect what would that be?
In my humble opinion: the human brain can now concentrate on links between knowledge.
We can all easily become geniuses.
(a genius being someone capable of making a relation where there seems to be none).

Earlier geniuses needed to learn and memorise various topics to be able to make connexions between them.

Today's geniuses only need to :
-know how to use the tool (computers) that allow them to
-acces an infinite database of knowledge (internet)
-have imagination

we humans in today's society lack the third component, for two reasons (imho)

-we have been too much concentrated on accumulating data/knowledge
-we have been rendered dumb by all cognitif marketing everywhere.

+++

so yes under the old ways of measurements indeed we are less intelligent, but we (Humans) are mutating.

By relying on the computer for storage of knowledge (coz that IS what we do) we can use our brains (those not yet understood organs) to make the connexions.

We Humans should not fear the change. It may be a mistake Humanity is making, but at least we are evolving.
after the industry era, we have come to the knowledge era, and all our ancient ways must be let go off so that we may look towards the ffutur.

yes if we measure IQ it is diminishing, but iq is not revelant anymore, we need a new way to measure our intellectual growth.

In My Very Humble Opinion ...

ps: i'm a french geek, I meditate a lot, and i use computers a lot. I am into cognitive studies, knowledge management, cognitive communications. I see and agree we what is said on this page, but i think it is just a manifestation of Humanity's evolution.