Creative performance: does the computer retard artistic development?

Abstract

Over the last decade, there have been several debates concerning the dominance of technology in academic disciplines such as fine arts and graphic design. Advanced imaging devices, such as fMRI and PET scans, have provided researchers with visual information in the field of brain science that may settle these debates. We outline a research study conducted among undergraduate art students to investigate the level of visual perception and creative development. The purpose is to gather basic information that would merit further scientific investigation. Among the groups studied, the research concluded that artistic traits such as visual memory, perception and a critical eye for detail declined 80% as compared to research studies conducted in 1944. We present scientific research in the field of cognition and brain science, suggesting dominant use of technology in the arts retards intellectual and perceptual-motor skills.