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Navigating Knowledge Gaps: Cognitive Shifts from Books to Google and AI

Poster Session E - Monday, March 9, 2026, 2:30 – 4:30 pm PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Divya Bhatia¹ (), Tara Chand², Aditya Varma¹, Raghav Verma¹, Tanisha Vijay¹; ¹O.P. Jindal Global University, India, ²Indian Institute of Technology (B.H.U.), India

The rise of internet technologies and AI tools has prompted questions about their impact on human cognition. Previous studies have shown the ‘Google Effect’, where people automatically think of computers when faced with difficult questions, because that is where answers to such questions are most likely to be found. However, in today’s digital age, AI systems have become popular sources of information, while Google remains a constant. This study aims to replicate the Google Effect and explore whether it extends to other sources, such as AI (e.g., ChatGPT) and books. Participants were asked general knowledge questions (easy and hard) followed by a modified Stroop task with target words (Google-related in Experiment 1, AI-related vs. Book-related in Experiment 2) and non-target words (non-technology-related) in red and blue. Reaction times to target and non-target words were measured to assess automatic priming. Results showed higher reaction times for Google-related and AI-related target words after hard questions, suggesting longer processing of these words when faced with knowledge gaps. Interestingly, this effect disappeared for book-related target words. These results suggest a shift in the relationship between humans and books, while also strengthening the association between humans and technology.

Topic Area: OTHER