Christof van Nimwegen’s PhD dissertation, “The paradox of the guided user: assistance can be counter-effective“, concerns how software affects brain processes.

According to news reports (I’ve not read it yet), he claims a great deal of software turns us into passive beings, subjected to the whims of computers, randomly clicking on icons and menu options. In the long run, this hinders our creativity and memory.

Van Nimwegen said his study demonstrates people may benefit if they continue to study new information by using books and the spoken word: “Listening to someone is the best guarantee to absorb information and store it permanently in one’s memory,”