Researchers from Yale have carried out experiments to investigate how Internet searching changes the way people rate their own internal knowledge. Using over 1,000 student participants, the team carried out a series of nine different tests that compared participants who used the Internet for knowledge acquisition to those using other means. The results appear to suggest that the use of the Internet boosts perception of knowledge, even when it’s about something unrelated to previous online exploration.
For instance, in one example participants were asked to research how a zip works: some used the Internet, others read about the topic from a print out. Later, those participants were asked about zips and also about a completely unrelated topic—why cloudy nights were warmer than non-cloudy nights. Those who had used the Internet were more confident about their answers to the latter question whether they were right or not, even though they hadn’t read anything about it.
via Gizmodo
Image: Anthony Ryan
