Proposal view
| Proposal Type: | Individual Thematic Poster |
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| Domain: | Learning and Cognitive Science |
| SIG: | Individual Differences in Learning and Instruction |
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| Paper Details |
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| Title | The role of individual’s intelligence in the era of information overflow |
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| Abstract | The rapid development of information technology (IT) can be seen in every aspect of today’s life. The presence technology in everyday life has positive outcomes, such as increased living standards, efficiency of work and teaching. But at the same time, modern technology can bee a source of psychological problems. One of those problems concerns the difficulty in processing vast amounts of information and knowledge. Psychologists point to a phenomenon called information overflow, data overload etc. So many people exhibit in cognitive situations psychological discomfort, labelled information stress. This notion is used to describe the situation, when the individual is not able to process great amounts of information and different kinds of stimulation, and has by the same negative emotions towards own cognitive possibilities. The most important matter seems to be measuring the intensity of the experiences of this form of stress. The research tries to identify individual determinants of info-stress by examining, among others, cognitive and emotional intelligence. 120 young adults, aged 18-25, took part in the studies. All were university students. The strength of the experienced information stress was assessed by the questionnaire KSI (Information Stress Experiences Questionnaire) constructed by the author. It permits to measure the information stress experienced at the information input, during the mental processing of data, and at the information output. Cognitive intelligence was assessed by the Raven’s Progressive Matrices – Advanced Version, emotional intelligence by the INTE Questionnaire (Polish version of Schutte et all. Questionnaire). The results obtained to date show that cognitive intelligence has no relation with experiencing information stress. But emotional intelligence, which minimizes the experience of info-stress in the phase of mental information elaboration, may play a crucial role in helping to overcome the info-stress. |
| Summary | We are living in the “information era”. The rapid development of information technology (IT) can be seen in every aspect of today’s life. The presence technology in everyday life has positive outcomes, such as increased living standards, efficiency of work and teaching. But at the same time, modern technology can bee a source of psychological problems. One of those problems concerns the difficulty in processing vast amounts of information and knowledge. Many contemporary learners and workers see the overproduction of information and a fast pace of its transmission as a challenge or even a threat. The characteristics of the human cognitive system, especially attention and short-term memory parameters, are the most important barriers for a smooth and comfortable processing of this information over-flow. Also psychologists point to a phenomenon called information overflow, data overload etc. So many people exhibit in cognitive situations psychological discomfort, labeled information stress. This notion is used to describe the situation, when the individual is not able to process great amounts of information and different kinds of stimulation, and has by the same negative emotions towards own cognitive possibilities. Informational stress is a form of psychological stress in which the stressor is an excess of information. All the links specified in the definition of stress can therefore be pointed out. A large amount of information in a given situation can be perceived by the subject as stressful in the moment when he/she judges its cognitive capabilities as being insufficient to process the data. The phenomenon of information stress is complex and multifaceted. Nevertheless, the most important matter seems to be measuring the intensity of the experiences of this form of stress as well as its subjective conditions. In order to attempt to present the determinants of intensity of information stress experiences, four characteristics of cognitive and extra-cognitive functioning shall be singled out. The “cognitive functioning” category is very capacious, encompassing both individual capabilities and preferences. The research tries to identify individual determinants of the info-stress by examining, among others, cognitive and emotional intelligence. 120 young adults, aged 18-25, took part in the studies. All were university students. The strength of the experienced information stress was assessed by the questionnaire KSI (Information Stress Questionnaire), constructed by the author. The Information Stress Experiences Questionnaire is a diagnostic instrument of subjective experiences connected with life in conditions of excess of information and quick pace of transfer. The premise that excess data disrupts, above all, the cognitive functioning of a person is at the base of this instrument’s structure. At the opposite ends of the information processing continuum are data input on one end, and their practical application on the other. 9 sub-scales describing possible experiences of information stress have been identified by way of theoretical analyses. The first three constitute the main scale of the so-called “information input” end encompass: difficulties in concentrating one’s attention, difficulties in selecting information and obstacles in planning learning. The following three sub-scales refer to inner (mental) processing which accounts for the second main scales. They are: difficulties connected whit transforming information into knowledge, difficulties in integrating messages coming from different sources, discomfort connected with a sense of the knowledge becoming outdated. And finally, the last sub-scale makes up the third main scale, i.e. “information output”. Stress at this stage of processing may involve difficulties in assessing the state of one’s knowledge, difficulties in the process of remembering as well as in making practical use of the knowledge. The questionnaire has a very high reliability, confirmed in numerous previous study (result of Cronbach’s Alpha for the scales: 0.90-0.93). Cognitive intelligence was assessed by the Raven’s Progressive Matrices – Advanced Version, emotional intelligence by the INTE Questionnaire (Polish version of Schutte et all. Questionnaire). The analysis of results was based on correlation calculation. Cognitive intelligence has no relations with experiencing information stress. The relevant correlation coefficients are statistically insignificant and low. But the emotional intelligence, which minimizes the experience of info-stress in the phase of mental (internal) information elaboration, may play a crucial role in helping to overcome the info-stress. Low emotional intelligence is favorable for experiencing information stress. The connection between emotional intelligence and the strength of information stress experienced is characterized by a medium intensity. Selection of information, as well as the nature, origin and correlates of information stress, are all important elements of contemporary education. |
| Keywords | Individual differences Learning difficulties Learning processes/strategies |
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| Authors | ||||||
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| Name | Surname | Institution | Country | EARLI Number | Presenting | |
| Maria | Ledzinska | Warsaw University | Poland | maria.ledzinska@psych.uw.edu.pl | * | |
