A Review of the Negative Effects of Digital Technology on Cognition

2026-02-23

arXiv.org

AI Summary

This study addresses the unclear mechanisms underlying the negative cognitive impacts of digital technologies by conducting a scoping review of 937 articles using hybrid retrieval and citation snowballing. It proposes the "AI erosion of higher-order cognition" hypothesis and the "efficiency-atrophy paradox," systematically elucidating four underlying mechanisms. The findings reveal an evolutionary trajectory of cognitive risk shifting from resource interference to the erosion of higher-order cognition. By synthesizing nearly one thousand publications, this research establishes a comprehensive theoretical framework for the field, providing critical scholarly support and a novel paradigm for understanding cognitive degradation in human-AI collaboration.

Abstract

The rapid integration of digital technology into daily life has prompted sustained concern regarding its impact on human cognition. This integrative review synthesizes documented risks and negative associations across more than 500 empirical studies, including the established literature and the nascent body of work on generative artificial intelligence. Initial evidence suggests a potential evolution in the nature of cognitive risk: while research on earlier technologies predominantly describes disruptions to resource allocation, early findings on generative artificial intelligence point toward a hypothesized erosion of higher-order generative and metacognitive capabilities. We analyze these risks across basic cognitive processes, higher-order cognition, and integrated functional outcomes through four mechanisms: functional interference, neurochemical dysregulation, structural neuroplasticity, and psychosocial displacement. The synthesis further highlights that these associations are frequently moderated or attenuated by socioeconomic status and environmental factors, which often drive both technology use and cognitive outcomes. Finally, by reviewing principles of cognitive epidemiology, the paper examines how habitual digital offloading could theoretically deplete cognitive reserve, creating downstream risks for long-term health. The collective evidence suggests an efficiency-atrophy paradox, where digital tools optimize short-term task performance at the potential expense of the long-term cognitive effort required to maintain unassisted cognition. However, large gaps remain in the literature, particularly the need for longitudinal studies, specifically within adult and professional populations.

Problem

• Digital Technology
• Cognitive Decline
• Generative AI
• Cognitive Reserve
• Efficiency-atrophy Paradox

Innovation

• Efficiency-atrophy paradox
• Cognitive reserve depletion
• Generative AI cognitive risk
• Algorithmic citation snowballing
• Psychosocial displacement