Zhitong Klara Guan

The growing use of Generative AI (GenAI) conversational search tools has raised concerns about their effects on people's metacognitive engagement, critical thinking, and learning. As people increasingly rely on GenAI to perform tasks such as analyzing and applying information, they may become less actively engaged in thinking and learning. This study examines whether metacognitive prompts designed to encourage people to pause, reflect, assess their understanding, and consider multiple perspectives can support critical thinking during GenAI-based search. We conducted a user study (N = 40) with university students to investigate the impact of metacognitive prompts on their thought processes and search behaviors while searching with a GenAI tool. We found that these prompts led to more active engagement, leading students to explore a broader range of topics and engage in deeper inquiry through follow-up queries. Students reported that the prompts were especially helpful for considering overlooked perspectives, promoting evaluation of AI responses, and identifying key takeaways. Additionally, the effectiveness of these prompts was influenced by students' metacognitive flexibility. Our findings highlight the potential of metacognitive prompts to foster critical thinking and provide insights for designing and implementing metacognitive support in human-AI interactions.

The rapid adoption of Generative AI (GenAI) is significantly reshaping human cognition, influencing how we engage with information, think, reason, and learn. This paper synthesizes existing literature on GenAI’s effects on different aspects of human cognition. Drawing on Krathwohl’s revised Bloom’s Taxonomy and Dewey’s conceptualization of reflective thought, we examine the mechanisms through which GenAI is affecting the development of different cognitive abilities. Accordingly, we provide implications for rethinking and designing educational experiences that foster critical thinking and deeper cognitive engagement and discuss future directions to explore the long-term cognitive effects of GenAI.

Parcel lockers have become an increasingly prevalent last-mile delivery method. Yet, a recent study revealed its accessibility challenges to people with visual impairments (PVI). Informed by the study, we designed FetchAid, a standalone intelligent mobile app assisting PVI in using a parcel locker in real-time by integrating computer vision and augmented reality (AR) technologies. FetchAid first uses a deep network to detect the user’s fingertip and relevant buttons on the touch screen of the parcel locker to guide the user to reveal and scan the QR code to open the target compartment door, and then guides the user to reach the door safely with AR-based context-aware audio feedback. Moreover, FetchAid provides an error-recovery mechanism and real-time feedback to keep the user on track. We show that FetchAid substantially improved task accomplishment and efficiency, and reduced frustration and overall effort in a study with 12 PVI participants, regardless of their vision conditions and previous experience.