Research from Columbia University has confirmed what most of us have suspected for a while now--that we are committing less to memory, opting instead to remember where information can be found on the Internet. Published in the July 14 edition of the Science, the paper by Betsy Sparrow is titled (sub. req.), "Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips."

The conclusions were based on four memory tests where participants were given trivia statements. As reported by CNET, "Subjects who believed the information would be accessible did worse on the memory test than those who believed the information was gone." 

Rather than be alarmed at the findings, Sparrow compared the results to our tendency to rely on the memory of friends or family members; we tend to remember less when we know where information pertaining to a subject matter can be found. In a statement, Sparrow noted that: "Since the advent of search engines, we are reorganizing the way we remember things." One advantage would be that academics and professionals can afford to be less focused on memorizing facts, and engage themselves toward attaining understanding.

You can find an outline of the tests conducted, as well as additional statements by Betsy Sparrow, here. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and Columbia's Department of Psychology.

For more:
- check out this article at PCWorld
- check out this article at CNET News

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