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Is Technology Producing A Decline In Critical Thinking And
Analysis?
ScienceDaily (Jan. 29, 2009) - 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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Learners have changed as a result of their exposure to technology, says
Greenfield, who analyzed more than 50 studies on learning and technology,
including research on multi-tasking and the use of computers, the Internet and
video games. Her research was published this month in the journal Science.
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.
How much should schools use new media, versus older techniques such as
reading and classroom discussion?
"No one medium is good for everything," Greenfield said. "If we want to
develop a variety of skills, we need a balanced media diet. Each medium has
costs and benefits in terms of what skills each develops."
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