The Role of Attention in Learning in the Digital Age

New and evolving technologies provide great opportunities for learning. With these opportunities, though, come questions about the impact of new ways of acquiring information on our brain and mind. Many commentators argue that access to the Internet is having a persistent detrimental impact on the brain. In particular, attention has been implicated as a cognitive function that has been negatively impacted by use of digital technologies for learning. In this paper, we critique this claim by analyzing the current understanding of the cognitive neuroscience of attention and research in educational settings on how technologies are influencing learning. Across the two bodies of literature, a complex situation emerges placing doubt on the claim that the use of digital technologies for learning is negatively affecting the brain. We suggest therefore that a more systemic approach to understanding the relationship between technologies and attention involving researchers examining the relationship at different levels from the laboratory to the real world.