Thread: Brain damage

A few days back the BBC carried a story about research into our intelligence and the way our brains are affected by how think and gather knowledge.

In London, Black Cab (Black refers to the type of cab) drivers are required to memorise all the possible destinations in London and the quickest route. It's called 'The Knowledge'. It's been shown that the part of the brain which deals with memorising this actually enlarges over time.

On the other side of the coin, frequent internet users who tend to 'Google' for solutions are apparently losing the ability to think problems through for themselves.

I've noticed that on technical forums and on SRP from time to time, more and more people seem to ask for answers without taking the time to work it out.

In my daily life I've started to see more and more people who seem unable to function without instruction to complete relatively simple tasks. I ask myself if this is the new 'Internet Generation'.

I don't think memorization inherently improves problem-solving skills, but just to be sure I guess I better google it

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

I don't think memorization inherently improves problem-solving skills, but just to be sure I guess I better google it

Don't bother with that ..... just ask ...... someone will save you the trouble.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Don't bother with that ..... just ask ...... someone will save you the trouble.

I already checked the wiki and didn't see anything

So the equivalent on this forum would be to Jimmy it!

I have to say, having worked in schools a fair bit during my student teaching and subbing - kids do seem to have significantly worse reasoning skills than I remember when I was in school. (or maybe it just seems that way, because all their questions are directed at me) The ability to reason through problems, the ability to write clear arguments, the ability to figure out lab procedures - all surprisingly low.

I think it's cause kids are often spoon fed at home and in school. The sense of entitlement is shocking.

30 years ago a very bright man by the name of Neil Postman wrote several books on this subject. Rather than remembered as a prophet, he has been pigeon-holed as a troglodyte. You might find his books Amusing Ourselves to Death and Technopoly interesting.

If I think back to my grandparents I can say that they felt the same way about the younger generation but for traits more specific to their times.

I have also noticed the trend as yo describe and probably further. Sometimes when dealing with store clerks I just have to walk away from them. I see lots of it here also. I remember not too long ago a member was asking about where to find something so I pointed them in a direction. His next post was more questions about the direction I pointed him to which required some searching. He wanted me to do the search for him! I may be getting old but that wasn't gonna happen and he got a polite ear full from me. Of course there was a logical behind his seemingly dumb question but the logic only worked for him.

I certainly have grown up in a generation of people who 'just google it' how ever, I reckon this has improved my knowledge rather that hindered it. I don't know about problem solving, certainly if I'm not sure about something that's a bit delicate I will ask for help.

On the flip side to the initial point, maybe there are more people who are willing to have a go at basic problem solving (or preventative measures like servicing) because there is such a wealth of knowledge out there and they can feel confident in what they are about to undertake, where as in the past they would have had to have taken it to a professional because they had no idea where to start.

As a newbie to these forums some of the comments here feel as if they are directed at newbies in these forums. I try to search the answers out for my self on the internet before I ever ask questions here, unless I am looking for opinions. This Forum board is huge, and the search capabilites seem to be very rudimentary; at least I haven't had very good results when searching for something specific. I'm sorry if I have asked any questions that the answer could be found in the Wiki's or Stickies. But sometimes I don't have hours to dedicate to reading every article on these forums to find the answer I am looking for.
I appreciate every response anyone takes the time to give to me, and I try to participate in a positive way and contribute what I can.