The Cognitive Dimension
There are many moments throughout the short film that show the difference between Emily Prime and Emily III, beyond the obvious that comes from the difference between a child and an adult. Although, as discussed in the earlier section, Emily III’s emotional intelligence advances throughout the telling of her story, there is still a lack of maturity and thought. We don’t see Emily III interacting with anyone in a social setting, other than Emily Prime and, potentially, David. Simon attempts to communicate with her. But instead of learning his language and attempting to communicate back with him, she takes his noises as company. There is no engaging in deeper, critical thinking on Emily III’s part, which is seen in her social interactions.
Yamamoto and Anaou write that "electronic communication users ... may assume it is acceptable to react immediately and retract later, simply by clicking a few buttons. In that sense, technology can be viewed as a powerful tool that allows people to communicate quickly, but not necessarily a tool for thoughtful communication under all circumstances. … When we forgo critical thinking, we risk alienating ourselves from what makes [us] human” (3). This is a risk we should not be willing to take. Examining the cognitive implications of technology is critical when looking towards the future and how we build our curriculum.
The way we think is changing as well as what we think. When we have verbal interaction with others, our cognitive ability is increased. So when we forgo the face-to-face conversation to read a text or an email, we are affecting both the habit and the “process of formulating deep thinking” (4). Additionally, the myth of multitasking has taken over professional and educational settings. In reality, though, the brain is only able to focus on one topic at a time. And if we are always prompt at responding to texts or emails the second we receive them, it is nearly impossible to turn off that instinct when we get a notification during class or a meeting.
Cognition is closely related to the emotional aspect of the framework. How closely we are able to pay attention to things can largely depend on the emotions we experience. “Complex thinking is done in neocortex, the newest part of the cerebral cortex of the brain. When a person faces anger or fear, amygdala, which is located in the limbic system, takes over the brain. Hence, it slows or incapacitates the activity of the thinking brain” (9). When we are engaged in text messaging, social media, or emails that make us upset, the ability to think rationally is impaired. This could explain why Emily III brings Emily Prime to her world to extract a memory from her.
Therefore, it is important for us to teach self-regulation and impulse control to students. Learning how to regulate impulses helps with both emotional and social skills, according to Hart et al. who “developed the curriculum targeted for increasing cognitive awareness in social and emotional skills” (12). While it should be noted that there is no guarantee that the students who are taught self-regulation are able to retain the skill into adulthood, the fact remains that it helped at that point in time. It would not be a stretch to further conclude that if this curriculum were integrated throughout a K-12 education, the benefits would be more likely to influence students for, hopefully, the rest of their lives.