ChatGPT produces more "lazy" thinkers: Evidence of cognitive engagement decline
This addresses concerns about AI tools reducing deep thinking in education, though it is incremental as it builds on existing literature about psychological implications.
The study investigated the impact of ChatGPT on students' cognitive engagement during academic writing tasks, finding significantly lower engagement scores in the AI-assisted group compared to a control group, indicating potential cognitive offloading.
Despite the increasing use of large language models (LLMs) in education, concerns have emerged about their potential to reduce deep thinking and active learning. This study investigates the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, specifically ChatGPT, on the cognitive engagement of students during academic writing tasks. The study employed an experimental design with participants randomly assigned to either an AI-assisted (ChatGPT) or a non-assisted (control) condition. Participants completed a structured argumentative writing task followed by a cognitive engagement scale (CES), the CES-AI, developed to assess mental effort, attention, deep processing, and strategic thinking. The results revealed significantly lower cognitive engagement scores in the ChatGPT group compared to the control group. These findings suggest that AI assistance may lead to cognitive offloading. The study contributes to the growing body of literature on the psychological implications of AI in education and raises important questions about the integration of such tools into academic practice. It calls for pedagogical strategies that promote active, reflective engagement with AI-generated content to avoid compromising self-regulated learning and deep cognitive involvement of students.