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

TL;DR

This study investigates how access to search engines affects individuals' cognitive self-esteem, revealing that search tools can inflate self-perception of abilities, especially in users with lower initial self-esteem, and highlighting design opportunities for better metacognitive support.

Contribution

It demonstrates how search engine access influences cognitive self-esteem through cognitive offloading and introduces design considerations for supporting accurate self-assessment.

Findings

Search access inflates cognitive self-esteem via offloading.

Lower initial self-esteem leads to greater shifts.

Search self-efficacy mediates the relationship.

Abstract

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.