Cognitive ease at a cost: LLMs reduce mental effort but compromise depth in student scientific inquiry

A study exploring the cognitive load and learning outcomes associated with using large language models (LLMs) versus traditional search engines for information gathering during learning, finding evidence of negative impact on learning outcomes associated with LLM use.

The results should be alarming, as ecosystem signal indicates students are heavily overindexing on ChatGPT use specifically for research and creation of assignments

Takeways

• LLM users reported a lower cognitive load than traditional search engine users. • Students using LLMs showed weaker reasoning in their analyses. • No significant difference in perspective diversity between LLM and search engine groups. • Findings suggest LLMs reduce cognitive load but may limit depth of content engagement.