The research of Professors of Psychology Mark Carrier and Larry Rosen, and Chair and Professor of Communications Nancy Cheever on people’s addiction to technology, particularly smartphones and social media, continues to attract media attention.
Veteran journalist Katie Couric interviewed the professors for an episode of her new series on National Geographic Channel called “America Inside Out with Katie Couric.”
Couric visited campus in November 2017 with electronic dance music DJ and social media celebrity Steve Aoki to talk with the professors about their recent research on the connection between smart phone use and brain anxiety and concentration levels.
Cheever and Carrier performed experiments that tested Couric and Aoki’s brains when distracted by their smartphones. Later, Couric sat down with Rosen to discuss the impact on this kind of increased technology use on the developing brains of children.
The series premieres April 11 and will air Wednesday nights through May 16. The episode featuring Carrier, Cheever and Rosen, currently titled, “Your Brain on Tech,” will air on April 25. However, the channel has arranged for a special screening of the episode for the university. It will be shown in Rosen’s SBS318: The Global Impact of Technology class on Thursday, April 19, at 10 a.m. in the University Theatre. A panel discussion with the professors will take place afterward, moderated by Yalda Uhls, an advisor with Common Sense Media. The screening is open to the campus community.
