MIT study: ChatGPT’s detrimental impact on cognition

MIT study: ChatGPT’s detrimental impact oncognitionImage source: GPT 4o / The Rundown

The Rundown: 

A new study from MIT just found that students using ChatGPT for essay writing showed significantly weaker brain activity and memory retention compared to those writing unaided or using traditional search engines for research.


The details: Researchers divided 54 Boston-area students into three groups, tracking their brain activity via EEG while they wrote SAT essays over four months. One group utilized ChatGPT for writing, another used Google for web search, and the third group used no resources at all.

The ChatGPT group displayed the weakest neural connectivity and performed worse across all three categories of neural, linguistic, and scoring. Brain-only writers showed the strongest neural networks across creativity, memory, and processing regions throughout all sessions.

Why it matters: While a small study and spanning just one specific task, the results show the concerning tradeoffs that the convenience of powerful LLMs can bring. With AI tools quickly being integrated across the education system, this research shows how early dependence could potentially have a costly impact on developing minds.
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About michelleclarke2015

Life event that changes all: Horse riding accident in Zimbabwe in 1993, a fractured skull et al including bipolar anxiety, chronic fatigue …. co-morbidities (Nietzche 'He who has the reason why can deal with any how' details my health history from 1993 to date). 17th 2017 August operation for breast cancer (no indications just an appointment came from BreastCheck through the Post). Trinity College Dublin Business Economics and Social Studies (but no degree) 1997-2003; UCD 1997/1998 night classes) essays, projects, writings. Trinity Horizon Programme 1997/98 (Centre for Women Studies Trinity College Dublin/St. Patrick's Foundation (Professor McKeon) EU Horizon funded: research study of 15 women (I was one of this group and it became the cornerstone of my journey to now 2017) over 9 mth period diagnosed with depression and their reintegration into society, with special emphasis on work, arts, further education; Notes from time at Trinity Horizon Project 1997/98; Articles written for Irishhealth.com 2003/2004; St Patricks Foundation monthly lecture notes for a specific period in time; Selection of Poetry including poems written by people I know; Quotations 1998-2017; other writings mainly with theme of social justice under the heading Citizen Journalism Ireland. Letters written to friends about life in Zimbabwe; Family history including Michael Comyn KC, my grandfather, my grandmother's family, the O'Donnellan ffrench Blake-Forsters; Moral wrong: An acrimonious divorce but the real injustice was the Catholic Church granting an annulment – you can read it and make your own judgment, I have mine. Topics I have written about include annual Brain Awareness week, Mashonaland Irish Associataion in Zimbabwe, Suicide (a life sentence to those left behind); Nostalgia: Tara Hill, Co. Meath.
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