Arbitrariness of Speech in Adult Active Internet Users: Types and Intensity of Deformations

Abstract

Objectives Testing the hypothesis about the presence of a long-term negative effect of Internet practices on the arbitrariness of speech in adults. Methods The study is based on a retrospective approach, which is a combination of an ex post facto research and a cross section. The participants in the control group were adults (n = 50; 20 men, 30 women; age 46.9±6.14) who keep the habit of traditional print reading. The experimental group consisted of individuals (n = 50; 20 men, 30 women; age 45.1±6.16) who abandoned this habit in favor of Internet practices. The evaluation of arbitrariness of speech was carried out using the method of "Opposites" (Susanna Rubinstein). Groups for the cross-sectional study were, on the one hand, a "pre-digital" person (rate of implementation of the method by healthy adults until 2000); on the other hand, modern young people (n=50; 20 young men, 39 young women; age 19.58±0.94). Results The cross section allowed to determine the following hierarchy in order of the arbitrariness deterioration: 1) pre-digital person; 2) modern adult reader; 3) modern active Internet users of different ages. The ex post facto research found significant reductions in the indicators of arbitrariness of speech in the experimental group, which are presented in two types of deformations: “weakening of control” (deformation coefficient – two) and “weakness of control in combination with lexical deficit” (deformation coefficient – seven). Conclusion The results obtained do not contradict the hypothesis about the deformation of cognitive functions in adults as a long-term effect of the Internet use. The idea of cognitive unloading mechanism, which explains the appearance of cognitive deformations through the specifics of Internet information coding, is expressed.