Weekly Focus: "Is your smartphone making you... not smart?"
With the introduction of the iPhone4S, we've entered a new world of mobile technology, and not necessarily a good world from the standpoint of the psychology of memory and aging. The new device has a robot called "Siri" which will take care of your every need except, perhaps cooking your dinner. Ask a question and it shall be answered, and you don't even have to use your fingers to type in the question. The demo I saw on the evening newscast showed a woman standing in front of a bookstore asking where she could find a specific book. Siri answered her with a range of choices, but they were mostly e-books, not books she could have found in that bookstore. Though there are advantages to having voice activation (no texting while driving), the fact that we can now offload our mental functions onto a device means that our mental functions won't get exercised. Data from GPS use and memory functions in older adults shows that we're better off using our spatial abilities to navigate ourselves around familiar environments. As I pointed out in the blog, I love technology as much as the next person, but there's a danger in letting go of these basic cognitive activities. Use it or lose could not be more true.
This Week's Focal Points:
Once you've read the article, commit to exploring this week's Focal Points:
1. Did you buy the new iPhone? If so, don't let it take over your brain functions. Allow yourself to practice your working memory skills as well as your spatial skills. Don't let Siri take over all your mental functions.
2. Use your smartphone to make you smarter. Playing cognitively challenging games, reading online news sources, downloading books are all great uses of your smartphones.
3. Don't let your smartphone interfere with your driving or other cognitively demanding tasks. Even using voice activation or handsfree technology while driving can be mentally distracting. Though we can multitask in many situations, driving doesn't seem to be one of them. The same goes for pedestrians, by the way. Reading your email while crossing a busy intersection can be dangerous, especially if drivers themselves are texting.
Weekly Focus Archive:
If you'd like to catch up on previous Weekly Focus entries, just visit the Weekly Focus Archives.
Feel free to share your responses on my Facebook page. Enjoy your smartphone but remember to -- remember. Don't let Siri (or any other app) take over your mental functions! ~Susan
