The Impact of Digital Technologies on Cognitive Development

The Impact of Digital Technologies on Cognitive Development

Abstract

This paper is a philosophical attempt to determine whether the impact of digital technology on human cognitive development is positive or negative. In particular, modern scholar thought has two points of view, one of which considers the benefits of digitalization, and the other which disqualifies these benefits. In this regard, the content of the paper focuses on philosophically arguing out what cognitive development is, identify the advantages and disadvantages of digital technology, and which views different researchers support. In the end, the reviewed arguments allow concluding that digitalization cannot be seen from one perspective only and that to get the maximum benefit from it, it is necessary to delve deeper into the issues of its reasonable and moderate use.

Keywords: digitalization, cognitive development, use of digital technology.

The Impact of Digital Technologies on Cognitive Development

Introduction

Various electronic devices and network technologies have been firmly entrenched in everyday life. The Internet is present everywhere, and it is no longer possible to imagine the life of modern society without this attribute. However, the consequences of such a widespread invasion of information technology in people’s daily lives have not yet been fully understood. The extensive use of digital devices and technologies of information and communication encourages researchers to pay special attention to the study of those changes that are possible and already occur under their influence. The most significant of these changes should be considered transformations in the field of cognitive processes, i.e., mental processes that perform the function of rational cognition. The impact of information and communication technologies on cognitive processes has become an object of argument for philosophers in recent years.

Therefore, specialists from different centres are mainly engaged in applied interdisciplinary research at the intersection of cognitive psychology, neurology, and interactive technologies. However, there are also other studies, which mostly occupy conflicting positions. In particular, some of them emphasize the negative role of digital technologies in cognitive development. In contrast, others strongly argue that digitalization provides new additional opportunities for the development of the human brain from an early age. In this regard, digital technologies cannot be viewed from the standpoint of their unambiguously negative or unambiguously positive impact on the cognitive development of a person since it is determined by the degree of rationality of their applications, on which the prevalence of benefit or harm depends.

Discussion

Cognitive Development

To study the impact of digital technology on human cognitive development, it is necessary to understand what cognition is and what the functions of the cognitive process are. In particular, an essential condition for the mental development of a personality is its cognitive activity. It is possible to assume that its main component is language, or language forms that build special multi-level schemes, and structures of various composition, which characterize the specifics of the personality’s mental development. Therefore, it is possible to say that cognition is a personality trait that manifests itself in the ability to process information elements at various levels of the structural organization of the mental apparatus (Griffin et al., 2015). Huitt and Hummel (2003) argue that language development qualifies an individual’s ability to synthesize information leading to cognitive development. In a narrow sense, the cognitive sphere is considered in the concept of Piaget’s cognitive development as a particular intellectual space of a person, which includes various forms of individual cognitive adaptations (Huitt & Hummel, 2003). In this regard, from a philosophical point of view, a person’s cognitive field is the main component of the structure of the human personality, which is a system that is capable of self-organization and self-development.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Digital Technology

In mid-20^thcentury, there has been a rise in interests on the cognitive processes of humans. This is primarily associated with the development of scientific and technological progress, the transformation of science into technology, the achievements in the sciences that study cognition, intelligence and brain, the conversion of society into a communicative and informational one, and the growing role of humanitarian knowledge (Center for Strategic Assessment and Forecasts, 2011). The emergence of technology has changed the nature of the relationship between science and philosophy. The changes that are caused by new technologies also allow taking a fresh look at technology, considered as an independent phenomenon, and traditional philosophical issues, which also include the influence of technology on the cognitive abilities of a person. However, despite the growing number of works devoted to this topic, it is possible to observe a lack of systematic studies of the influence of digital technologies on such essential mental functions as memory, attention, thinking, and speech.

However, consideration of these issues has become less evaluative, and researchers try to get away from extremely negative attitudes when they talk about “digital dementia” and blame the Internet for all deadly sins (Greenfield, 2015). This approach is explicitly or implicitly based on the widespread belief that a child spends more time using gadgets uselessly. However, he/she could spend it on developmental activities, such as studying, athletic training, or visiting other educational units. There are more and more research works that seek to prove the fact that digital technologies give the younger generation more advantages than disadvantages. At the beginning of the 21^stcentury, it is possible to note some studies that confirm the positive impacts of digital technologies on the image recognition and development of visual memory (VanDeventer & White, 2002), planning functions, the choice of a strategy to search and evaluate information, and the development of visual intelligence, namely, the ability to control several visual stimuli simultaneously and visualize spatial relationships (DeBell & Chapman, 2006). Arguments have been brought forth to counter the existing stereotypes regarding the disadvantages of digitization. Fish et al. (2008) have shown that children who use digital home devices have higher cognitive development rates than those who do not have a computer at home. Similar results have been obtained by Jackson et al. (2012), who have shown that children who use the Internet have better school performance in comparison with those who do not use the worldwide network. Against the backdrop of the rapid introduction of new technologies in everyday life, there are more and more followers of the non-evaluative approach. They study and observe the changes in cognitive processes in children and adolescents under the influence of digital technologies and do not consider digitalization as just something wrong or right (Barr et al., 2015).

Philosophical arguments have been presented to counter stereotypic thinking regarding digitization—these present two points of view as well, which are addressed in this section. According to the first point of view by Greenfield (2015), the impact of digital technology on the cognitive development of children is harmful. Such experts believe that the computer becomes not a means of obtaining information, but only a source of sensory impressions, the consumption of which turns into an independent occupation. The computer screen increasingly replaces physical acts, objective and productive activities, playing, and communication with close adults. Greenfield (2015) argues that the excessive use of digital technologies, especially in childhood, can lead to severe consequences such as the development of “digital dementia.”Digital dementia is characterized by the restriction of the use of one’s mental abilities because the computer performs most of their actions. Scientists who agree with this point of view urge not to allow the introduction of digital technologies in early life stages of children. In particular, they argue against the introduction of digital technologies in general and preschool children. At the same time, the experts attribute not only computers, tablets, and smartphones to digital technologies but also TV sets in this category. They recommend pedagogical and parental communities extreme care with the same gadgets. They base this argument on the claim that children get less time for creative playing, exploring the world around them and other activities that contribute to harmonious development. Moreover, based on this understanding of the problem, S. Thisseron, a French scientist, has developed a program of recommendations for parents and teachers that is called 3/6/9/12 (Cherry et al., 2017). This program includes basic rules for the use of digital technologies by children, such as limiting the time that a child spends in front of a computer or TV screen, the age threshold for exploring the Internet and social media, and the types of digital activity accessible to children depending on their age. Besides, researchers argue that digital technology can impair a child’s mental and physical health and his/her cognitive development. They say that this impairment may lead to insomnia (Mustafaoğlu et al., 2018; Anderson & Subrahmanyam, 2017).

Nevertheless, there is also another approach to solving the problem of the use of digital devices by preschool children. According to this approach, a computer can become an enriching element of a developing subject environment (Homer et al., 2014). Practising teachers and specialists in the field of preschool education express the opinion that the demonstration of audio and visual materials increases the efficiency of perception of new information due to its high interactivity and the opportunity to work with different types of materials such as videos, audio recordings, and presentations among others. In their opinion, the inclusion of digital technologies in the pedagogical process can form the basis of successful learning at school due to sustained positive motivation, the growth of cognitive interest, and an increase in the coefficient of intellectual development (Lai, 2011; Pauwels et al., 2014). They also believe that the appearance of a computer game in a child’s life can have a positive impact on his/her intellectual development and prepare him/her for being in the information age.

However, the researchers also clarify that such games cannot replace the traditional role-playing game. Therefore, they should be limited and cannot be used to the detriment of the main types of children’s activities, such as playing, creative actions, and so on (Kreijns et al. , 2013). The positive impact of computer games on the cognitive development of children becomes possible (in addition to other reasons) because recently, in addition to the entertainment sector itself, it is possible to say more and more about educational and developmental games that form and develop the higher mental functions of children, in particular, perception, memory, thinking, and speaking (Gros, 2007). The specialists also point out that a virtual game originates in a traditional game, influences the imagination similarly, and teaches children to follow specific rules. After an initial acquaintance with technologies, children can independently make adjustments to the gameplay by using real-life experience and influencing the course and outcome of the game (Genc, 2014).

A computer can be a learning tool for a child. The software and applications can stimulate a preschooler’s interest in acquiring essential skills such as reading and writing. At the same time, digital technologies can boost not only cognitive motivation. They can also contribute to the development of independence in the acquisition of knowledge (Kolbe, 2018). A particular value is also present in the fact that when planning and developing games and applications, their authors most often focus on children’s interests, abilities, and development needs of each age period. There is also special computer software that is designed for the development, training, and socialization of children with special needs. In this case, for a child who has physical or psychological disabilities, digital technologies open up new opportunities for the development of both cognitive and communication skills.

In addition, it is believed that preschoolers are protected from Internet addiction due to their restlessness and curiosity. They are always ready to leave a digital device for exciting activities in real life. In addition, preschool children prefer lively communication with parents to virtual entertainment. In this regard, it is possible to conclude that the literature presents diametrically opposite opinions about the role of digital technologies in the cognitive development of people of young age category: in particular, some researchers see the risks, while others focus on new opportunities that open up due to the early digital activity of children.

Reasonable Use of Digital Technology

In today’s society, in conditions of the convergence of online and offline worlds and the emergence of mixed reality, it is impossible to guard a child against digital technology completely. Therefore, the relevant issues are questions both about the content of children’s online activities and about determining the optimal amount of time that they could spend on the Internet not just without harm, but, on the contrary, to the benefit of their personal and cognitive development. Psychologists Przybylski & Weinstein (2017) have postulated the existence of such an optimal screen time, beyond which the influence of the Internet becomes detrimental to the psychological well-being of the child, as the digital hypothesis of Goldilocks. The authors contrast it with the known displacement hypothesis by Neuman, which suggested that the damage from technology is directly proportional to the duration of its impact.

The effects of this assumption are negative since interactions with technologies crowd out or replace actions without using them in the real world. According to the Goldilocks hypothesis, moderate use of technology is not inherently harmful: too little of it deprives adolescents of crucial social information and communication with peers, while too much of it can crowd out other significant actions. The authors of the hypothesis have actually given an accessible form to the long-held search for a rational approach to the problem of immersing children and adolescents in the digital world.

Evidence for the existence of digital time which would be optimal for the child’s personal mental development and psychological well-being, has been obtained in a number of large-scale international studies that examine the academic performance of schoolchildren (Bowers & Berland, 2012). In particular, moderate interest in video games for entertainment purposes is positively associated with high marks in mathematics and reading; and students who use online games every day or almost every day in moderate doses have higher average scores. This proposes that it is important to discuss how technology is used, its importance to human life, the nature of control, and its impact on development in cognition before making a final judgement of the same.

It is also possible to approach the discussion of the adequacy of the use of digital technologies with the help of real-life examples. The human brain needs energy in order to carry out the successful mental activity and to develop its cognitive abilities. In order to provide a person with the necessary energy, there is a need for components such as physical activity that is optimal for the body, harmonization of periods of sleep and wakefulness, and fresh air. Morning exercises, walking, playing in motion, sports, a stable schedule, and the periodic alternation of motor and mental activity – all these factors contribute to the normal functioning of the brain and maintaining its cognitive functions.

In this case, digital devices can contribute to energy recharging. For example, if parents turn on a video with morning exercises and do them together with their child, then his/her motivation to perform physical exercises increases significantly, and his/her energy is successfully replenished. In turn, if he/she is left to one’s devices, plays with a smartphone, or watches cartoons for hours, then the energy functions of the brain are inevitably inhibited. Usually, a child with a gadget in one’s hands sits in the same position, does not move, and does not walk, and his/her brain is not saturated with oxygen. What is happening at this moment? The children spend a lot of efforts to process the received information. The forces are expended, but the children do notreplenish them in any way, and the energy functions of the brain suffer.

As a result, their attentiveness, memory, and perception are impaired. It is also very important to teach a child how the objects look, how they differ from each other, and what characteristic signs determine what this object is. In this way, his/her visual perception develops and enriches. In this case, gadgets are a useful and convenient means for demonstrating such pictures, which become material for analysis. At the same time, it is necessary to remember that the child will not be able to analyze visual images of objects on one’s own, and adult help is needed for this purpose.

When parents examine photos of animals with their children, explain how they look, where they live, and what they eat, then the enrichment of visual perception and information about the world as a whole takes place. In turn, if a live interaction with an adult does not occur, and the child does not receive answers to all one’s questions regarding the material that he/she is watching (for example, the popular science film about animals), then new information may not be acquired. Since the flow of data when using a phone or tablet comes mainly through vision and hearing, the formation of a holistic image of an object with all its physical characteristics can be distorted with the unreasonable use of digital technology.

In other words, it is impossible to form an idea of weight, size, texture, material, functions, and other physical characteristics by only using a gadget. For this reason, the information that children receive from this source should be supported by interaction with real objects. In addition, the need to operate with words, name objects, and answer questions, i.e., use speech for communication, appears only in the case of real interaction with another person. A child who uses electronic devices for games and watching cartoons does not need to communicate with them through sounding speech. Therefore, the development of speech, memory, and attentiveness occurs only when an adult is actively involved in the discussion of cartoons and games and can explain the meaning of an audio or video clip if necessary.

Conclusion

In conclusion, digital technologies cannot be viewed exclusively from a positive or negative position since the frequency and reasonable degree of their use determines what they will bring to a person in the end – harm or benefit. Numerous studies show that digitalization is good for humanity and can contribute to the cognitive development of the individual. At the same time, on the basis of the same realistic evidence, other researchers oppose digital technologies and define them as uniquely malicious. Therefore, it is necessary to refer to information on how to use them properly in order to extract maximum benefits and minimum harm.

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