UC Santa Cruz study looks at impact of ”Google” on memory

A new study from a UC Santa Cruz professor found that people who use a search engine to find information are more likely to use it again rather than relying on their own memory.

According to UC Santa Cruz, psychology professor Benjamin Storm and his team gave study participants a mix of trivia questions ranging from difficult to easy. One group was asked to answer the questions from memory, while another group was told to use the internet to find the answers.

Participants were then given another set of easier questions and were given the option of using Google’s search engine.

Storm found that the group who used the internet to answer the first set of questions were more likely to use the internet again. It continued to happen even when participants were forced to get up and use an old, slow iPod touch to access the internet.

This is part of Storm’s research work into human memory and the causes as well as consequences of forgetting. His findings can be found in the journal Memory.