I was on “Sound Off With Sasha” (FGCU radio) and asked how Google influences memory. In order to answer this question, I need to describe some types of memory as memory is not a unified skill but rather a large number of skills and processes.

There are four basic types of memory. First, there is sensory memory which registers sound, touch, images, etc. It is very brief and cannot be trained. Second, there is working memory which briefly holds information and constantly decides what will be important and what moves on to longer storage. This is basically multitasking and is closely related to attention and works best when we are doing one thing at a time (our brains do not parallel process very well or driving while texting would not create problems). Third, is short-term memory which is not a time but rather a process. Short-term memory is the process whereby the brain learns or “consolidates” information into long-term memory. This is why we take notes, rehearse, and practice. Finally, long-term memory is the ability to have access to information at a later time than when it was originally encountered. Long-term memory works like a muscle, the more you use it the stronger in becomes.

Our memory systems and skills evolved long before computers and Google. We have a long and creative history of inventing tools to extend our limits. For example, we have telescopes and microscopes to extend sensory memory. We have books, Post-It notes, journals, recorders, timers, smart phones, and computers to augment our short term and working memory. The problem is that technology has vastly expanded our ability to create information and data. The maximum value for learning new information is set by a memory system that evolved thousands of years ago not by advances in technology.

The limitation is human memory. We can take in at best about seven new pieces or chunks of information at a time. Furthermore, there are limits on our attentional resources. We can only bring in new information at a fixed rate which may change as we tire or become bored. Multi-tasking distracts us. For example, we remember 10% few facts from a new story if there is a scrawl at the bottom of the screen. Finally, recall takes more effort than recognition. That’s why many prefer multiple choice tests to essay tests.

Google is a wonderful tool for finding massive amounts of information quickly and it is faster than thumbing through resource books. However, remembering information takes time and effort. Our ability to find information far exceeds our ability to review, understand, and recall information. As Nicholas Carr (The Shallows) put it: “The problem today is that we’re losing our ability to strike a balance between these two very different states of mind” that is finding information and pondering on it. Formation of memory needs time for understanding and reflecting. Has Google caused us to develop a technologically driven attention deficit disorder?