Smartphones Don’t Make Us Dumb

An op-ed piece by Daniel Willingham offers an interesting look at a bit of “conventional wisdom” that states, human beings are losing the ability to focus and concentrate due to constant stimulation from our electronic devices. This idea seems to be supported by a recent Pew Survey reporting 90 percent of teachers claimed students can’t pay attention the way they could a few years ago (Purcell, et al., 2012). Willingham cites research that counters this widely held belief. This will come as a surprise too those who worry that data shows electronic devices can occupy up to 11 hours of a teenagers waking day (Rideout, Foehr, & Roberts, 2010). The cited studies may come as a relief alleviating fear we are causing permanent damage to our children’s brains. Unfortunately, not all is rosy when it comes to our love of our machines. The bad news is that the powerful reinforcement we experience from our devises keeps us continually alert for something new and engaging that is but a click away. The good news is that our brains are not being physically impacted by constant stimulation and students can focus when devices are kept out of reach during instruction.

Purcell, K., Rainie, L., Heaps, A., Buchanan, J., Friedrich, L., Jacklin, A., … & Zickuhr, K. (2012). How Teens Do Research in the Digital World. Pew Internet & American Life Project.

Rideout, V. J., Foehr, U. G., & Roberts, D. F. (2011). Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8 to 18 year Olds: A Kaiser Family Foundation Study, January 2010.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/opinion/smartphones-dont-make-us-dumb.html?_r=0