Digital Multimedia and Human Memory - Preventing Technology-Driven Memory Degradation

EPSRC的优先领域：人机交互技术的进步使数字多媒体成为社会日常生活的主要部分。然而，随着科技越来越融入日常活动，这可能会对记忆等认知过程产生影响。Sparrow、Liu和Wegner(2011)发现，相比于信息本身，人们更容易回忆起在哪里可以在网上找到信息，并因此提出互联网被用作外部存储空间。此外，Wilmer，Sherman和Chein(2017)的一项评论表明，记忆以外的认知领域可能会被数字多媒体退化，例如注意力或情绪调节。然而，已经发现数字技术在某些情况下可以改善记忆。Mikusz、Linch、Shaw、Davies和Nurmi(2018)发现，大学校园周围的屏幕可以用来显示记忆线索，以帮助学生。这表明，技术融入社会可以用来帮助记忆，也可以导致认知退化。关于技术如何影响记忆的研究缺乏共识，目前几乎没有研究解释为什么会发生记忆退化，以及这种退化如何与不同形式的数字多媒体相互作用。随着年龄较小的儿童使用科技，在使用科技对记忆的长期影响方面的研究还存在进一步的差距。研究问题在博士学习过程中将解决以下研究问题：1)数字多媒体技术何时会导致记忆退化，以及技术何时能使记忆受益？2)从小长期使用iPad和平板电脑等技术如何影响记忆性能？为了进行调查，参与者将被问到他们使用的是什么形式的技术，以及平均每天使用多长时间。他们还将接受记忆测试，评估记忆和识别能力。然后，可以使用回归分析来分析这一点，以调查在数字设备上花费更多时间和一般记忆性能之间是否存在联系，以及在哪些记忆领域存在影响。然而，这不会评估较长时间内的内存性能，因此可能不会反映数字多媒体随时间影响内存的方式。特别是，它可能没有充分解决人们在Sparrow等人的论文中描述的那样依赖技术而不是自己记忆的背景。因此，在最终确定实验程序之前，需要考虑文献审查的结果，以便可以考虑情景背景等因素。根据这项初步调查的结果，可以设计一个实验程序，调查改变使用数字设备的时间长短对记忆的影响。自变量将是花费在数字设备上的时间量，因变量将是记忆测试的性能。这项研究的结果将有助于提供有关使用数字设备多长时间以减少对记忆性能的负面影响的建议。这也可能受到人们使用技术的环境的影响，因此可能需要根据在该项目过程中进行的先前研究的结果对该设计进行调整。为了解决这一问题，需要进行一项研究，调查儿童的记忆力表现，以及儿童在很小的时候就被给予平板电脑玩是否有关系。父母会被问到他们的孩子是否使用平板电脑，如果使用，从什么年龄开始使用。然后，孩子们将接受一项简单的、适合年龄的记忆任务，以评估他们的记忆能力。然后，将使用相关分析对此进行分析，以评估从小使用技术是否会影响记忆性能。

EPSRC Priority Area: Human-Computer InteractionAdvances in technology have led to digital multimedia becoming a staple of everyday life in society. However, as technology becomes more integrated into daily activities, this may have consequences for cognitive processes such as memory. Sparrow, Liu, and Wegner (2011) found that people find it easier to recall where to find information online than the information itself, and thus propose that the internet is being used as external memory storage space. Furthermore, a review by Wilmer, Sherman, and Chein (2017) suggests cognitive domains beyond memory may be degraded by digital multimedia, for example attention or emotional regulation. However, digital technologies have been found to improve memory in some cases. Mikusz, Clinch, Shaw, Davies and Nurmi, (2018) found that screens around university campuses could be utilised to display memory cues to aid students. This shows that the integration of technology into society can be used to aid memory as well as cause cognitive degradation. There is a lack of consensus in the research over how technology can affect memory and at present little research offers an explanation as to why memory degradation takes place, and how this interacts with different forms of digital multimedia. As children of younger ages are using technology, there is a further gap in the research regarding the long-term effects of using technology on memory. Research questionsThe following research questions will be addressed over the course of PhD study: 1) When does digital multimedia lead to technology causing memory degradation, and when can technology benefit memory? 2) How does long-term use of technology such as iPads and tablets from a young age affect memory performance? To investigate 1) participants will be asked what forms of technology they use and for what length of time in an average day. They would also undergo memory tests assessing both recall and recognition. This could then be analysed using a regression analysis to investigate whether there is a link between spending more time on digital devices and general memory performance and in what memory domains is there an effect. However, this would not assess memory performance over a longer period and thus may not reflect the way digital multimedia impacts memory over time. In particular, it may not adequately address the contexts under which people rely on technology over their own memory as described in the paper by Sparrow et al.. Therefore the results of the literature review will need to be considered before finalising an experimental procedure, so that factors such as situational context may be taken into account. From the results of this initial investigation, an experimental procedure could be designed, investigating how changing the amount of time spent using digital devices impacts memory. The independent variable would be the amount of time spent on digital devices and the dependent variable would be performance on the memory test. The results of this study would help to inform recommendations regarding how long to spend using digital devices to reduce negative impacts on memory performance. This may also be impacted by the context in which people utilise technology and thus adjustments may be required to this design based on the results of previous studies conducted over the course of this project. To address 2), a study investigating children's memory performance and whether there is a relationship with being given tablets to play with at a young age would be required. Parents would be asked if their child uses a tablet and if so from what age. Children would then undergo a simple, age-appropriate memory task to assess their memory ability. This would then be analysed using a correlational analysis to assess if the use of technology from a young age impacts memory performance.