Modeling Changes in Individuals' Cognitive Self-Esteem With and Without Access To Search Tools

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Akgun, Mahir, Toker, Sacip
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Akgun, Mahir
Toker, Sacip
author_facet Akgun, Mahir
Toker, Sacip
contents Search engines, as cognitive partners, reshape how individuals evaluate their cognitive abilities. This study examines how search tool access influences cognitive self-esteem (CSE)-users' self-perception of cognitive abilities -- through the lens of transactive memory systems. Using a within-subject design with 164 participants, we found that CSE significantly inflates when users have access to search tools, driven by cognitive offloading. Participants with lower initial CSE exhibited greater shifts, highlighting individual differences. Search self-efficacy mediated the relationship between prior search experience and CSE, emphasizing the role of users' past interactions. These findings reveal opportunities for search engine design: interfaces that promote awareness of cognitive offloading and foster self-reflection can support accurate metacognitive evaluations, reducing overreliance on external tools. This research contributes to HCI by demonstrating how interactive systems shape cognitive self-perception, offering actionable insights for designing human-centered tools that balance user confidence and cognitive independence.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_10517
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Modeling Changes in Individuals' Cognitive Self-Esteem With and Without Access To Search Tools
Akgun, Mahir
Toker, Sacip
Human-Computer Interaction
Search engines, as cognitive partners, reshape how individuals evaluate their cognitive abilities. This study examines how search tool access influences cognitive self-esteem (CSE)-users' self-perception of cognitive abilities -- through the lens of transactive memory systems. Using a within-subject design with 164 participants, we found that CSE significantly inflates when users have access to search tools, driven by cognitive offloading. Participants with lower initial CSE exhibited greater shifts, highlighting individual differences. Search self-efficacy mediated the relationship between prior search experience and CSE, emphasizing the role of users' past interactions. These findings reveal opportunities for search engine design: interfaces that promote awareness of cognitive offloading and foster self-reflection can support accurate metacognitive evaluations, reducing overreliance on external tools. This research contributes to HCI by demonstrating how interactive systems shape cognitive self-perception, offering actionable insights for designing human-centered tools that balance user confidence and cognitive independence.
title Modeling Changes in Individuals' Cognitive Self-Esteem With and Without Access To Search Tools
topic Human-Computer Interaction
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.10517