English Homework

The human brain consists of three basic units: the hindbrain, the midbrain, and the forebrain. The forebrain is the most highly developed and largest part of the brain consisting of primarily the cerebrum and the structures that are beneath it. The midbrain consists of the uppermost part of the brainstem; controlling reflex actions and is a part of a circuit that is involved in the control of eye movement and voluntary movements. The hindbrain has the role of controlling body functions such as the heart rate and respiration. It is made up of the uppermost part of the spinal cord, the cerebellum and the brain stem (NIH, 2015).

The brain is not unchanging; it not only develops and changes, but it is also greatly shaped by what is done to it and by the experiences of daily life. At the molecular level, the complex network of nerve cells that comprise the constituent parts of a brain change in response to certain stimuli and experiences. In other words, human brains are malleable and not just in childhood but also right up to early adulthood, and in certain situations, beyond. The environment that surrounds the subject has a substantial effect both on how a brain develops and how that brain transforms into a unique human mind.

Human brains are under the influence of an ever-growing world of new technology: video games, the Internet, multichannel television, smartphones, social media medicine, pharmacy, transport, etc.

The impact of technology on attention and memory shows how it affects the brain. Studies have now shown that the widespread use of technology has both negative and positive effects on students’ memory and attention. With still developing brains, the exposure to technology can rewire their brains differently from those that did not have access to technology while growing. Interaction with this environment lets them develop ways to scan for information quickly and effectively.

Technology allows for more creativity and access to multiple sources of information and this practically simultaneously. However, this comes at a cost. The process of learning requires attention and without it all the other aspects of learning, such as memory, reasoning, creativity and problem solving are put at risk. The environment largely determines how an individual develops attention. Technology has put children in a world that demands more of their attention. Consistent attention has been replaced by distraction and the children’s capacity of working memory appears to be reducing.

The brains are now accustomed to are rewarded for, switching tasks constantly, at the expense of consistent and sustainable attention. The constant switching of tasks requires that the brain reorients itself to the new task, this taxes the neural resources and because of the limited capacity of working memory, some of the information from the previous task is lost as the brain tries to assimilate new information. Furthermore, the switching between tasks can cause a cognitive overload, which is a condition whereby the flow of information exceeds the brain’s ability to process and store it. As a result, students cannot gain a deep understanding of any new material or translate it into knowledge that is conceptual (Taylor, J. 2012).

Focus and attention have been examined through brain scans. A study that used neuroimaging of frequent users of the Internet showed twice as much activity in the prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain that is used quick decision-making and short-term memory, compared to only sporadic users. As an example, consider students that take notes on their laptops. They allow the student’s access to the Internet, to collaborate with the other students internationally and locally, to engage in activities, and take notes more effectively. The students have grown up with keyboards and technology, and because of this they can type faster that they can write. Consequently, they record more notes on a laptop that they would have if they have written them on paper. Despite this, a study that included three experiments discovered that students that took notes on their laptops did not learn as much as those that wrote them on paper (Mueller & Oppenheimer, 2014). The students that used paper had a greater conceptual understanding of the content and were better able to integrate and apply it that those that took notes with their laptops, despite the fact that the laptop group took more notes.

The researchers suggest that this could be because writing is slower that typing, meaning the students’ brains had to listen, process, and the write down a summary of the new information. Apparently, these cerebral processes enhanced retention and understanding. The laptop group essentially recorded just a transcript of the instructor’s presentation, with little processing of the information. The reminder here is that technology can be faster, but is does not necessarily help with the learning processes.

There are also the effects of digital immersion and the differences that it has created between this generation and the previous one. It is posited that by the time the “Net generation” reach their 20s they will have spent more than 30000 hours online and playing games. This happening at a time that brains are sensitive to external influences, and this he suggests has changed their habits and mental reflexes, learning methods and how they absorb information (Tapscott, D. 2008). An example of how technology has directly affected the brain is the observation that now individuals are hard-wired to assume that their phones are ringing, even though they are not. The authors refer to a study that was carried out; the researchers observed that 89% of the 290 surveyed undergraduate reported feeling the “phantom vibrations,” a physical sensation that the phone is vibrating, even though it was not, once every two weeks. It is suggested that physical sensations, such as an itch, are now misinterpreted by the brain as a phone vibrating (Drouin M., Kaiser, H. D., & Miller, A. D. 2012)

Digital technology has changed our brains and that humans are facing a crisis that concerns individual identity that is unprecedented, that is, what individuals do, who they are and how they behave. The author shows concern that social networking can displace an individual’s “true self” with an “ideal self” that is exaggerated. She also gives a warning that digital technology has already been observed to increase narcissism. Though, an Associate Professor Cordelia Fine disagrees with her arguing that the idea of multiple social identities long predated social networking. She claims the increase in narcissism is due to other factors (Greenfield, S. 2015).

Pharmaceutical drugs and electronic devices all have an impact on the brain’s micro-cellular structure and biochemistry. That, in turn, affects the individual’s personality, behavior and characteristics. Technology could be changing the human identity.

At the moment, it is immensely clear that this screen-based, two-dimension world that most teenagers and a growing number of adults have decided to inhabit has produced changes in behavior. Personal communication skills have deteriorated, attention spans have gotten shorter, and there is a marked reduction in peoples’ ability for abstract thinking. The game-driven generation interprets the world through screen-shaped eyes and with the massive amounts of personal information that available online it is getting more difficult to discern where the boundaries of a person’s individuality lie.

In conclusion, Technology has a direct effect on the behavior of an individual, more so adolescents. It use affects adolescent risk behaviors such as drinking, smoking, and drug abuse. With increased exposure to risky online content has a direct impact on an adolescent’s risk behaviors. The meaning of this is that technology has brought the ills of the society into the home and therefore the development of an individual now happens with the influence of the society closer that it was. This affects how an individual’s mind develops and influences the resulting personality. Furthermore, long time a go when people need academics sources from the books the go to the library to read and write notes. In this case that is a strong way to memorize this information. On the other hand, people like to get a quick information from the websites, so this information is easy to forget. Technologies make every things easy, however that will make people laziness, and affect our brain in several ways. Moreover, The reason why I chased this topic that technology and brain damage there is no doubt that the relationship that unites us with technology has become above all discussion, and no longer are once again reminded abandoned. But have you thought about how technological affect your brain. -Change in shape: notable aspects, which influence of technology on your brain, are changes in the shape and size of your brain. The technology in entire means and facilitated by it adversely affect our innovation and hindered almost completely. The brain regions responsible for this job are clear changes occurring in shape and size. Influencing your thinking abstract: due to the amount of information we receive daily through the Internet and the ease with which we get to it, and we can reach any place in any moment and buy everything we want from any country in the world by simply entering your account, the capacity of your brain to think of without seeing concrete and concrete images of him are much harder than before.

References

Drouin M., Kaiser, H. D., & Miller, A. D. (2012) Phantom vibrations among undergraduates: Prevalence and associated psychological characteristics. Computers in Human Behavior. 28, 1490–1496.

Greenfield, S. (2015). Mind change: How digital technologies are leaving their mark on our brains.

Michel, J., & Nimz, L. (2012). Can you hear me now: Applying brain research and technology to engage today's students. Huntington Beach, California: Shell Education.

Mueller, P.A., & Oppenheimer, D.M. (2014). The pen is mightier than the keyboard: Advantages of longhand over laptop note taking. Psychological Science, 25(6), 1159–1168.

NIH (2015). Brain Basics: Know Your Brain. Retrieved from http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/know_your_brain.htm

Pechura, C. M., & Institute of Medicine (Washington, D.C.). (1991). Mapping the brain and its functions: Integrating enabling technologies into neuroscience research. Washington, DC: National Acad. Press.