With parents flooding their camera phones with hundreds of photos — from loose teeth to each step in the potty training(如厕训练) process — how might the photos affect our memories?
Maryanne Garry, a psychology professor, has studied the effects of photography on our memories for years. “I think the problem is that people are giving away being in the moment. Those parents at the park taking all those photos are actually paying less attention to the moment, because they’re focusing on the act of taking the photo.” she says.
Henkel, who researches human memory at Fairfield University in Connecticut, began an experiment by sending groups of students to the university’s art museum. The students observed some objects and photographed others. Then, back at the lab, they were given a memory test. Henkel found what she called a “photo-taking impairment (损伤) effect.” “The objects that they had taken photos of — they actually remembered fewer of them, and remembered fewer details. Like, how was this statue’s hands positioned, or what was this statue wearing on its head.” she says. Her students’ memories were impaired because relying on an external (外在的) memory aid meant they subconsciously (潜意识地) counted on the camera to remember the details.
“As soon as you hit ‘click’ on that camera, it’s as if you’ve outsourced your memory,” she says. “Any time we count on these external memory devices, we’re taking away the kind of mental cognitive (认知的) processing that might help us actually remember that stuff on our own.” Henkel says it’s also a mistake to think of photographs as memories. The photo will remain the same to you each time you look at it, but memories change over time. “Each time I remember what my high school graduation was like, I might be coloring and changing that memory because of my current perspective — because of new ideas that I have or things that I learned afterwards,” she says. “Human memory is much more dynamic (动态的) than photographs.” But Henkel doesn’t want people to stop taking photos. Instead, she’d like us to be more mindful when taking pictures in the first place. They’re still valuable tools that can provide “rich retrieval (检索) clues” later on.
13. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Photos taken in the park have a bad effect on children’s memory.
B. The fewer photos you take, the fewer details you remember.
C. Observing objects can help remember what we’ve experienced.
D. New ideas people have can completely change the memory of the past.
14. By saying “As soon as you hit ‘click’ on that camera, it’s as if you’ve outsourced your memory.” in the last paragraph, the writer means that ______________.
A. you obtain your memory relying on a camera
B. you cross out our memory when using a camera
C. you change your memory with the help of a camera
D. you bring back your memory by hitting your camera
15. What is the attitude of Henkel towards taking photos?
A. Objective. B. Negative. C. Unconcerned. D. Doubtful.