Keywords
Digital Dependency
Attention Fragmentation
Working Memory Engagement
Analytical Reasoning
Generation Z
Cognitive Restructuring
Human–AI Interaction
How to Cite
Abstract
The integration of digital technologies into everyday cognition has fundamentally altered how individuals process, store, and retrieve information. While cognitive offloading through digital devices enhances efficiency, its sustained and habitual use may reshape internal cognitive engagement. Despite growing interest in digital dependency, existing research remains fragmented, with limited understanding of the mechanisms linking externalized cognition to higher-order reasoning outcomes. Addressing this gap, the present study introduces the Cognitive Offloading Collapse (COC) framework, which conceptualizes a sequential pathway through which digital dependency influences analytical reasoning via cognitive offloading, attention fragmentation, and working memory engagement.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 415 Generation Z participants (aged 18–25 years), and the proposed model was tested using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The findings indicate that digital dependency is positively associated with cognitive offloading, which in turn contributes to increased attention fragmentation. Attention fragmentation was negatively related to working memory engagement, which subsequently predicted analytical reasoning performance. Mediation analysis suggests that cognitive offloading operates as a central mechanism, with a significant serial pathway linking digital dependency to reasoning outcomes.
Importantly, the results reflect moderate effect sizes, indicating patterns of cognitive restructuring rather than deterministic decline. The study contributes to emerging discussions on human–technology co-cognition by offering a theoretically integrated and empirically supported model of how digital environments influence cognitive processes. Practical implications are discussed for educational design, digital behavior regulation, and human–AI interaction in contemporary learning and work contexts.
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