網路取代人腦成為記憶主要儲存庫大綱

The Internet is becoming our main source of memory instead of our own brains, a study has concluded.

一項研究得出結論稱，網路正取代人腦成為記憶的主要儲存庫。

In the age of Google, our minds are adapting so that we are experts at knowing where to find information even though we don't recall what it is.

我們的大腦正逐漸適應谷歌時代，就算我們記不起某一資訊，我們卻善於從網路中找出這一資訊。

The researchers found that when we want to know something we use the Internet as an "external memory" just as computers use an external hard drive.

研究人員發現，當我們想知道某一事物時，我們就會將網路作為一種“外存”，就像電腦使用外部硬碟驅動器一樣。

Nowadays we are so reliant on our smart phones and laptops that we go into "withdrawal when we can't find out something immediately".

如今我們是如此依賴於我們的智慧手機和筆記本電腦，當我們“無法立刻找出某一資訊時，我們的生活甚至會停擺”。

And such is our dependence that having our Internet connection severed is growing "more and more like losing a friend".

我們也非常依賴於網路，如果我們的網路連線中斷了，我們會“越來越覺得像失去了一個朋友”。

Researchers from Harvard University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Columbia University in the US carried out four tests to check their theory.

來自美國哈佛大學、威斯康星大學麥迪遜分校和哥倫比亞大學的研究人員為了驗證他們的理論，開展了四項測試。

They involved giving test participants a trivia quiz and then seeing whether they recognised computer-related words more quickly than other words.

這些測試包括讓參與者做瑣碎記憶測試，看他們是否能更快識別和電腦相關的詞彙。

The other tests involved seeing if people remembered 40 pieces information they would typically later have normally looked up.

其他的測試包括觀察人們是否能記住40條他們一般稍後會查閱的資訊。

The third and fourth parts of the study involved checking how well people remember where to look up information on-line and whether or not they remembered the location more than the actual data.

研究的第三和第四部分包括檢視人們是否能很好地記住查閱資訊的網站，以及他們是否對網站比對資訊本身記得更清楚。

The results showed that when people don't believe they will need information for a later test, they do not recall it at the same rate as when they do believe they will need it.

結果顯示，當人們認為自己在稍後的測試中不需要該資訊時，他們能回憶起來的資訊比認為自己稍後將需要該資訊時要少。

In fact, some of those in the study "actively did not make the effort to remember when they thought they could later look up the trivia statements they had read", the paper says.

該研究報告稱，事實上，部分參與研究的人“沒有積極努力地去記住他們所看到的資訊，因為他們認為稍後可以查閱到這些瑣碎資訊”。

The other results showed that when continuous Internet access is expected, people are better at remembering where they can find it than the details.

其他研究結果顯示，當人們期待可以持續地連線到網際網路時，人們更善於記住找到資訊的地方而非資訊的細節。