effect of technology on emotion and cognition Flashcards
1
Q
does digital technology affect processing of emotional information
A
- processing of emotional information is closely linked to the concept of empathy. Empathy is the capacity to understand and feel what another person is experiencing
- the cognitive component refers to the ability to cognitively place ourselves in another person’s shoes and the emotional component is feeling what the other person is feeling
- According to Batson, when we see a person who needs our help, how we respond depends on our degree of empathy . People can show empathic responses to others online but at the same times empathy has been declining in young people since technology- based communication has become prevalent.
2
Q
ability to understand what other people feel
A
- reasearch has shown a decline in empathy scores.
- decline in empathy scores in tests coincides with the onset of the digital era. Displacement of face- o -face time by online activities would be expected to negatively impact empathetic skills.
- researchers have found that the more distracted we are, the harder it is for us to feel deep emotions like empathy
- it’s easier to empathise when we can observe a person’s facial expressions, body language and gestures and this is difficult to do when you’re constantly looking down at your phone
- however, research showed that online activities that enhance face-to-face communication may actually lead to an increase in empathy
- electronic communiciation environemnets such as social media could facilitate empathy through the easy and frequent access to other people in simialar situations.
