With the widespread acceptance of digital devices, there has been a great deal of research on how digital platforms, such as tablets and laptops, might be affecting attention and distractibility. Surprisingly few studies exist about how digital tools affect human understanding. A new research tested about the basic question: would processing the same information on a digital versus non-digital platform affect the fundamental level of cognition? It was composed of several studies and the following part listed two of them.A group of participants were asked to read a short story by author David Sedaris on either a physical printout (non-digital) or in a PDF on a PC laptop (digital), and were then asked to take a paper-and-pencil comprehension test. For the abstract questions, on average, participants using the non-digital platform scored higher on inference questions with 66 percent correct, as compared to those using the digital platform, who had 48 percent correct. On the concrete questions, participants using the digital platform scored better with 73 percent correct, as compared to those using the non-digital platform, who had 58 percent correct.Another group of participants were asked to read a table of information about four Japanese car models on either a PC laptop screen or paper print-out, and were then asked to select which car model is superior. Sixty-six percent of the participants using the non-digital platform (printed materials) reported the correct answer, as compared to 43 percent of those using the digital platform.According to the result, using digital platforms for reading may make you more inclined to focus on concrete details rather than interpreting information more abstractly. The findings of the study serve as a wake-up call to how digital media may be affecting our likelihood of using abstract thought. It’s crucial to recognize the role that digitization of information might be having on this important aspect of cognition. Knowing digital technologies can help design better software. Sometimes, it is beneficial to foster abstract thinking, and as people know more, the tendencies, or deficits, of digital devices can be overcome.1. Which of the following statements about the new research is true?A) Studies about digital tools are surprisingly few.B) The new research provides a unique view of computer science.C) A lot of studies prove that tablets and laptops have negative influence.D) The new research studies how digital devices affect cognition. 2. For those participants who read a short story, ________.A) they did digital reading as well as non-digital readingB) they answered concrete questions better on digital platforms C) they were good at taking a paper-and-pencil comprehension testD) they proved that digital reading was superior to non-digital reading3. It can be inferred from the study that ________.A) table reading depends more on abstract thinking than concrete thinking B) it is more difficult to read table information than reading short storiesC) people can make better choice of purchasing cars through digital readingD) non-digital reading promotes people’s understanding of table information4. What can be learned from the new study?A) Digital platforms hinder correct understanding in reading.B) People tend to adopt concrete thinking more in digital reading. C) Digital devices should be designed to promote reading efficiency.D) Non-digital reading is better than digital reading.5. What is the main idea of this passage?A) Reading from digital platforms is quite efficient.B) Digital media may be changing people’s way of thinking. C) Digitalization of information influences human beings in many ways.D) Digital technologies can be helpful in developing abstract thinking.

With the widespread acceptance of digital devices, there has been a great deal of research on how digital platforms, such as tablets and laptops, might be affecting attention and distractibility. Surprisingly few studies exist about how digital tools affect human understanding. A new research tested about the basic question: would processing the same information on a digital versus non-digital platform affect the fundamental level of cognition? It was composed of several studies and the following part listed two of them. A group of participants were asked to read a short story by author David Sedaris on either a physical printout (non-digital) or in a PDF on a PC laptop (digital), and were then asked to take a paper-and-pencil comprehension test. For the abstract questions, on average, participants using the non-digital platform scored higher on inference questions with 66 percent correct, as compared to those using the digital platform, who had 48 percent correct. On the concrete questions, participants using the digital platform scored better with 73 percent correct, as compared to those using the non-digital platform, who had 58 percent correct. Another group of participants were asked to read a table of information about four Japanese car models on either a PC laptop screen or paper print-out, and were then asked to select which car model is superior. Sixty-six percent of the participants using the non-digital platform (printed materials) reported the correct answer, as compared to 43 percent of those using the digital platform. According to the result, using digital platforms for reading may make you more inclined to focus on concrete details rather than interpreting information more abstractly. The findings of the study serve as a wake-up call to how digital media may be affecting our likelihood of using abstract thought. It’s crucial to recognize the role that digitization of information might be having on this important aspect of cognition. Knowing digital technologies can help design better software. Sometimes, it is beneficial to foster abstract thinking, and as people know more, the tendencies, or deficits, of digital devices can be overcome.1. Which of the following statements about the new research is true?A)  Studies about digital tools are surprisingly few.B)  The new research provides a unique view of computer science.C)  A lot of studies prove that tablets and laptops have negative influence.D)  The new research studies how digital devices affect cognition. 2. For those participants who read a short story, ________.A)  they did digital reading as well as non-digital readingB)  they answered concrete questions better on digital platforms C)  they were good at taking a paper-and-pencil comprehension testD)  they proved that digital reading was superior to non-digital reading3. It can be inferred from the study that ________.A)  table reading depends more on abstract thinking than concrete thinking B)  it is more difficult to read table information than reading short storiesC)  people can make better choice of purchasing cars through digital readingD)  non-digital reading promotes people’s understanding of table information4. What can be learned from the new study?A)  Digital platforms hinder correct understanding in reading.B)  People tend to adopt concrete thinking more in digital reading. C)  Digital devices should be designed to promote reading efficiency.D)  Non-digital reading is better than digital reading.5. What is the main idea of this passage?A)  Reading from digital platforms is quite efficient.B)  Digital media may be changing people’s way of thinking. C)  Digitalization of information influences human beings in many ways.D)  Digital technologies can be helpful in developing abstract thinking.