Archive

reasoning

Digital Tools, Cognition, and Democracy: A Review of the Literature

Digital Tools, Cognition, and Democracy: A Review of the Literature

This literature review supports a series examining the effects digital technologies have on the following cognitive processes: "Memory," "Attention," and "Reasoning." The broader report series includes three additional papers looking at some of the society-level cognitive and democratic impacts of technology, titled: "Modulating Trust," "Shortcutting Critical Thinking," and "Exploiting Emotions."

attention, cognition, DCDI, democracy, emotions, Geopolitics of Technology, memory, reasoning, social

October 27, 2022

Reasoning: How digital technologies influence decision making and judgment

Reasoning: How digital technologies influence decision making and judgment

This report provides a working definition of reasoning, narrowing the scope of the discussion to judgment and decision making. We identify three aspects of digital technology that exert significant impacts on reasoning: user experience design, gamification, and search engines. Examples include social media platforms, gamified platforms like Robinhood, and search engines like Google and Wikipedia. Key findings include:

cognition, DCDI, decision making, democracy, gamification, Geopolitics of Technology, judgment, reasoning, search engines, user experience design

October 27, 2022

Attention: How digital technologies influence what we notice, what we focus on, and how we learn

Attention: How digital technologies influence what we notice, what we focus on, and how we learn

This report examines the impact that technology has on the cognitive function of attention. It provides a working definition of attention within a cognitive science context, including the distinction between overt and covert attention. It summarizes findings that elucidate how attention is affected by the passive and active consumption of technology.

attention, cognition, critical thinking, DCDI, democracy, emotions, gamification, Geopolitics of Technology, memory, reasoning

October 27, 2022

Shortcutting Critical Thinking

Shortcutting Critical Thinking

The scale, accuracy, and speed of digital technologies make them particularly effective at activating the very emotions that influence and undermine critical thinking. Not only do digital technologies have the ability to inflame those emotions, but they often are designed to do so, as those very emotions drive engagement, use, and consumer spending.

attention, cognition, critical thinking, DCDI, democracy, emotions, Geopolitics of Technology, reasoning

October 27, 2022

Exploiting Emotions

Exploiting Emotions

Digital systems exploit and manipulate emotions by design. Emotions prompt people to use digital tools, engage with content, products, and services, respond to advertisements, stay on or return to digital platforms, and even take action offline as a result of online experience. The design of the digital environment, especially its visual nature, also heightens user emotions, often creating an addictive cycle. Because emotions affect how we process, engage with, and often act upon information, they play a central role in the relationship between digital tools and democracy.

addictive, attention, cognition, DCDI, democracy, Geopolitics of Technology, memory, networks, reasoning, social

October 27, 2022

Rewired: How digital technologies shape cognition and democracy

Rewired: How digital technologies shape cognition and democracy

The Digital Cognition & Democracy Initiative is investigating how digital technologies affect human cognition, and what those effects mean for democracy. Rewired by Leah Walker examines different key themes that have emerged in our DCDI research and working meetings with coalition members. This series is meant to illustrate the depth of the digitally influenced cognition problem, and illuminate how we are thinking about these issues.

attention, cognition, critical thinking, DCDI, democracy, emotions, friction, Geopolitics of Technology, information overload, memory, reasoning, trust

October 27, 2022