SYM 07: An interdisciplinary examination of how technology (in its various forms) shapes/influences human cognition
| Thursday, June 12, 2025 |
| 4:10 PM - 5:30 PM |
| Moore Abbey Suite |
Overview
Symposium organiser: Charles Stone
Details
Technology plays an important and critical role in shaping human cognition. Critically, an interdisciplinary approach is necessary to properly understand how and in what way, technology shapes cognition. To this end, Yamashiro (Psychology) examines how digital manipulation shapes cognitive appraisals. Bietti (Communication Studies) examines whether generative AI can simulate how humans share of episodic memories. Sutton (Philosophy) will review research examining GPS technology and wayfinding. Garcia (Psychology) will discuss social media exposure and how individuals remember the Jan. 6th insurrection in the US. Wang (Psychology) will distill the converging and diverging themes that emerge from the presentations.
Speaker
Dr. Jeremy Yamashiro
Associate Professor
University Of California, Santa Cruz
Memory media and collective temporal appraisal
Symposium Presentation
Collective memories are often mediated through artifacts like museums, memorials, textbooks, films, and photographs. Design features of such memory media may impact reception of the historical events portrayed. Historical photographs were digitally manipulated and presented in black-and-white or color, with participants estimating how distant the event feels from the present (Exp. 1) or the year in which the event occurred (Exp. 2). Events portrayed in black-and-white were perceived as more temporally distant than when presented in color. We discuss these findings in the context of digital manipulation of memory media and political uses of the past.
Paper Number
514
Dr John Sutton
Leverhulme International Professor
University Of Stirling
Cognitive ecologies of collaborative wayfinding: review and research questions
Symposium Presentation
Individuals are the primary focus of navigation science and studies of wayfinding technologies. But often we find (or lose) our way alongside other people, even while using technologies like GPS. Conflict during collaborative wayfinding is familiar to most people, as is failure at it; while outsourcing spatial cognition threatens to erode navigation skills. We review critically a recent surge of experimental work on collaborative aspects of wayfinding, and on uses of navigation technologies in social practice as forms of cognitive niche construction. We suggest lessons from collaborative recall research and pinpoint some tractable research questions for studies of people-place-technology ecosystems.
Paper Number
496
Mr Brandon Garcia
Adjunct Lecturer
John Jay College Of Criminal Justice
History will be Live-Tweeted: An examination of the influence of social media on memories of the January 6th Insurrection
Symposium Presentation
This study explored the influence that Twitter had on memories of the January 6th insurrection. To understand how memory of major public events may be affected by social media consumption, we compared participants’ recollections of January 6th before and after being exposed to Tweets about the event. Preliminary results indicate that exposing participants to Tweets did have an impact on the content and number of details recalled about January 6th. Given the fact that more people are using social media as their primary source of news, and uncertainty surrounding Twitter as a platform, exploring this relationship will be especially timely.
Paper Number
504
Prof Qi Wang
Professor
Cornell University
Discussant: The impact of technology on human cognition from interdisciplinary perspectives: Discussion
Symposium Presentation
Professor Qi Wang will discuss the converging and diverging themes that emerge from the presentations. In particular, she will highlight the importance of an interdisciplinary approach in understanding how various forms of technology may (and in what way) shape human cognition and any relevant ethical concerns. Professor Wang will conclude with a discussion of important avenues for future research.
Paper Number
512
