The research showed that digital devices help people to store and remember important information which frees up their memory to recall additional, less important things.
Neuroscientists have previously expressed concerns that the overuse of technology could result in the breakdown of cognitive abilities and cause “digital dementia”.
However, the findings show that using a digital device as external memory not only helps people to remember the information saved within the device, but it also helps them to remember unsaved information, too.
To demonstrate this, researchers developed a memory task to be played on a touchscreen digital tablet or computer. The test was undertaken by 158 volunteers aged between 18 and 71.
Participants were shown up to 12 numbered circles on the screen and had to remember to drag some of these to the left and some to the right. The number of circles that they remembered to drag to the correct side determined their pay at the...