Digital technologies are undoubtedly the greatest achievement of our time. It is now impossible to imagine communication, learning, and other areas of human activity without the use of digital technologies. An analysis of the psychological and pedagogical risks associated with the introduction of digital technologies into the educational process deserves special attention. In this article, the authors attempt to uncover not only the positive impact of digitalization on the educational process but also the negative side of this phenomenon, namely, the threats to the individual's cognitive sphere.

The digitalization of education leads to ambiguous psychological consequences for those involved in the educational process. Of particular importance is the change in the spatiotemporal characteristics of their interpersonal interactions, the «depersonalization» and virtualization of communication associated with the use of electronic educational communication tools. A complete transition to digital education means the complete replacement of traditional face-to-face communication between teacher and student [1].

Digital transformations of modern education offer new learning opportunities that should contribute to improving its quality. Six key trends in this transformation in educational institutions have been identified: augmented reality, classroom devices, updated learning spaces, artificial intelligence, individualized learning, and gamification [2].

What are we witnessing in the educational process? The widespread introduction of digital technologies into the learning process. On the one hand, teachers are required to use these innovations (although some teachers either do not know how to do this or, for other reasons, refuse to use them regularly). On the other hand, we are already seeing the consequences of this implementation, namely, the psychological consequences for both students and teaching staff.

Despite the obvious advantages of digitalization, the results of some studies also indicate negative psychological consequences. First and foremost, the digitalization of education has a disorienting effect on students, using three main models of disinformation: first, by creating so-called information bubbles; second, by spreading fake information; and third, by reinforcing one piece of information and weakening another [3]

Psychological and pedagogical studies aimed at analyzing the personal development of the modern generation in the digital age note the underdevelopment of communication and other social skills, and the reduction of the active-volitional sphere of the personality. The problems of childhood and adolescent development in the digital world are emphasized, highlighting the following characteristics: decreased cognitive development; decreased activity and energy due to increased emotional discomfort; a narrowing of the level of development of role-playing and underdevelopment of the need-motivational sphere, a decrease in curiosity and imagination; underdevelopment of fine motor skills; weak social competence, impoverished communication, the development of a sense of insecurity, etc. [4]

Plenary report by E. B. Puchkova «Psychological risks and benefits of using digital technologies in education» also gave the authors some food for thought on the risks and benefits of using digital technologies in a distance learning format. Students have increased their screen time with the advent of distance learning.

For homework and independent work, students primarily use phones, while for extracurricular activities, they often use computers and tablets for extended periods of time, which negatively impacts their physical and psychological health.

According to experts, the most effective method for preventing digital addiction is disseminating information about the dangers of digital addiction, its signs, and prevention options. From a student perspective, the most effective approach is organizing training sessions and schools on communication skills, stress resilience, psychological development, and addressing free time and employment issues [5].

A particular psychological risk is the way modern students think, which tends toward a figurative-emotional mindset, where only emotionally significant information is absorbed. Furthermore, modern students tend to have a fragmented, clip-based consciousness, which is shaped by the accelerated pace of life and the clip-based nature of information, leading people to rely on unified, simplified thinking patterns that are largely based on the unconscious. All of this runs counter to the verbal style of presenting educational material and leads to cognitive dissonance. Presenting educational material without a visual basis does not facilitate its effective assimilation; video accompaniment must be developed for each topic [6].

The introduction of digitalization into all spheres of life is currently the most pressing trend. Digitalization has already encompassed virtually all areas of life. University graduates, entering the world after university, must be able to function in a digital environment. In this regard, a number of authors have identified the positive and negative aspects of digitalization. Negative aspects include: a possible decline in the quality of education, a decrease in cognitive abilities (thinking, comprehension, speech, reasoning ability), a negative impact on health, a lack of socialization, and others. [7]

Often, in order to improve student learning, teachers incorporate game elements into digital technologies. Gaming, the most common form of digital addiction among students, driven by the fascination of many games and the ability to identify with various characters, is also spilling over into the educational realm [8].

Furthermore, it should be noted that escaping life's problems into virtual reality negatively impacts student development: the ability to communicate with peers, find a way out of difficult situations, and correctly identify oneself as an individual.

Psychological risks are a global problem, and digital addiction is one manifestation of the interaction between humans and information technology. Therefore, it is appropriate to consider other characteristics of information technology and assess its impact on the individual and society as a whole.

Of course, it is impossible to fully understand all the types of cognitive risks of digitalization of education and the forms in which they manifest within the framework of a single article, so we will focus on a sequential analysis of three types: 1) information overload of the cognitive sphere; 2) devaluation of memory capabilities; 3) a decrease in the level of critical thinking and the ability to independently create an intellectual product. It should be noted right away that the probabilistic nature of the manifestations of these cognitive risks, their scale and degree of destructiveness depend on a whole complex of scientific, methodological, organizational, psychological, pedagogical factors and the individual personal and psychophysiological characteristics of students, who are vulnerable to these risks to varying degrees. The renowned Russian philosopher E. O. Trufanova correctly notes that «the resources of our psyche, engaged in processing incoming information, are not unlimited. Information overload deprives us of initiative; we lack the strength to switch our attention from background irrelevant information to what is truly necessary» [9]. For teaching staff, focusing students on searching for information in a digital communication and educational environment expands the range of associated risks. The diversity of electronic information and multiple sources of access to it, on the one hand, make it difficult to find the necessary material, and on the other, create an effect of oversaturation and fatigue from the flood of both textual and visual information. This, of course, applies to both participants in the pedagogical process.

The idea that one can rely solely on AI technologies is unsafe in terms of achieving positive educational outcomes. Focusing solely on the capabilities of AI can lead to a tragic reality, where teaching without a living person can be reduced to the dry transmission of information to students, whereas the primary task of the educator is to develop educated, responsible, and empathic citizens committed to the common values of humanism [10].

A study conducted by V. F. Lugova (2020) examined the memory characteristics of future university applicants in the context of their dependence on the digital environment. Participants were divided into two groups: those with pronounced (Group 1) and those with mild (Group 2) dependence on digital technologies. Those in the first group were significantly better at remembering visual images, which the authors attribute to the training of involuntary visual memory while in a digital environment. Furthermore, these students demonstrated a high level of attention span. However, despite all of this, they were unable to retain information for a long time compared to those in the second group. It should be noted that a relationship between the degree of dependence on digital technologies and auditory memory has not been established. Currently, it is important to identify identified issues, analyze and reflect on them, calculate and prioritize restrictions on AI actions and control, such as information privacy, distribution of power and control over AI actions, respect for human rights, development of creativity, development of intuition, and the development of unexpected approaches in teaching and learning [11].

The authors are confident that the regular use of digital technologies, as well as the appeal to artificial intelligence, is on a fluid trajectory. At first, of course, there is an increase in knowledge and skills, activation of memory, attention, and thinking, but over a certain period of time, there is an inability of the student to reproduce information to the extent in which he reproduced it some time ago, and most importantly, the completeness of this knowledge disappears. A particular challenge is that AI is unable to recognize its own errors, as its path to decision-making is logically verified and does not allow for the data initially used as a basis to be erroneous, making it impossible to arrive at an adequate solution.

We emphasize that psychological and pedagogical threats to the individual's cognitive sphere are present at all stages of development. The educational challenges of virtual socialization are determined by the negative impact of the internet on the cognitive development of children and young people; the gradual but steady reduction of communication and the weakening of the semantic aspects of interaction; and the simplification associated with the transfer of new forms of communication, which, having first appeared on social networks, are becoming part of direct and everyday human interaction. Therefore, the prospects for the obtained analytical data are linked to solving the problem of effective psychological and pedagogical communication in distance learning. Educators and psychologists working in the context of digitalization of education must consider the socio-psychological and linguistic effects of communication reduction/simplification, which impacts the semantic aspects of information transfer and the development of meanings during learning [12]. Here, it would be helpful to draw educators' attention to psychological intelligence as a qualitative new development of personality, which is often considered in relation to the concept of reflection [13].

In conclusion, it should be noted that technologies that remove barriers to perception, consistent with the thinking style of students, are information and communication technologies that teachers must master to make the learning process more rational and effective.

References:

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