Ep 170: Dr. Larry Rosen on Technology and the Brain

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On this episode, Katie is joined by Dr. Larry Rosen, Professor Emeritus and past chair of the psychology department at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He is a research psychologist recognized as an international expert in the "Psychology of Technology." Over the past 30-plus years, Dr. Rosen and his colleagues have examined reactions to technology among more than 100,000 people in the United States and in 22 other countries. His latest book, The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World (MIT Press, 2016), won the PROSE Award for neuroscience. Dr. Rosen has been featured extensively in television, print, and radio media and has been a commentator on 60 Minutes, The Daily Show, Good Morning America, NPR, and CNN. Dr. Rosen has four children including one in the iGeneration, one in the Net Generation and two in Generation X and four grandchildren to watch growing up with technology. For fun he creates works of art from old computer technology, clocks and early rock and roll music. In his free time he enjoys reading international intrigue novels, fiddling with his newest geek toy, going to independent films, and trying to find ways to keep his Humanware safe from the technology vying for his attention. His website is DrLarryRosen.com

Segment 1: Technology and the Brain [00:00-18:53]

In this first segment, Larry describes some of his research on the effect of technology on the brain.

In this segment, the following resources are mentioned:

• Gazzaley, A., & Rosen, L. (2016). The distracted mind: Ancient brains in a high-tech world. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
• Learn more about Dr. Larry Rosen on his website: DrLarryRosen.com
• Weil, M. M., & Rosen, L. D. (1997). TechnoStress: Coping with technology @Work @Home @Play. New Jersey: Wiley.

Segment 2: Multitasking in the Classroom [18:54-37:11]

In segment two, Larry shares about his research study on multitasking in the classroom.

In this segment, the following resources are mentioned:

• Disconnected: A Documentary
• National Sleep Foundation
• Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)
• Children and Screens
• Psychology of Technology Institute

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The views expressed by guests on the Research in Action podcast do not necessarily represent the views of Oregon State University Ecampus or Oregon State University.