Digital natives' reading: a psycholinguistic approach/A leitura dos nativos digitais: uma abordagem psicolinguistica

Considering the phenomenon known in neuroscience as brain plasticity (SCHWARTZ, 2002) and the theoretical scope of Psycholinguistics on reading, recent researches suggest that the use of Internet facilitates the ability to multitask, which would cause a disturbing cognitive burden: the gradual loss of our capacity for deep reflection and concentration. This context generates two basic questions: (i) How these changes in our cognitive behavior can affect our ability to decode and assign meanings to what we read? (ii) The new generation, known as the digital natives (PRENSKY, 2001), is more susceptible to these changes by early exposure to virtual environments? The objectives of this research are: find possible problems in reading comprehension and retention of information by digital natives and investigate possible differences in reading in digital and print media by digital natives and digital immigrants. We will use the experimental methodology, with the participants performing a gap-filling task in the model of the Cloze Test (TAYLOR, 1953) and a test of memory/recognition of the words presented in the text. The dependent variables are the number of words filled that are consistent with the meaning of the text and the number of words remembered, while the independent variables are the classification in digital immigrant or digital native, the medium used for reading, paper or computer, and the text size, short or long. Not all subjects were exposed to the same experimental conditions (between subject's design).