Cognitive Offloading

The “extended mind” theory of cognition argues that the reason humans are so intellectually dominant is that we’ve always outsourced bits of cognition, using tools to scaffold our thinking into ever-more-rarefied realms. Printed books amplified our memory. Inexpensive paper and reliable pens made it possible to externalize our thoughts quickly. Stu

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Take Aways

The distinction between cognitive and cogitative offloading offers a framework for refining our evolving relationship with technology. While cognitive offloading addresses epistemic realities, the storage and retrieval of information, cogitative offloading concerns the metacognitive delegation of active thinking processes themselves. Thi... See more

Conn McQuinn

Jul 4

First, if we don't have sufficient in-brain skill and knowledge, we won't know what to ask the AI to do or how to interpret the products it creates. Second, if we turn over our thinking to AI, we are doing ourselves harm. I don't mean that in the metaphorical sense. Our brains are like muscles, and the harder they are used, the st... See more

I propose that educators need to distinguish between cognitive offloading—the externalization of information storage and retrieval—and what I call cogitative offloading—the delegation of active thinking processes to external agents. This distinction isn't academic; it's essential for understanding which aspects of thinking we should preserve intern... See more