Entry

Learners' AI Dependence and Critical Thinking: The Psychological Mechanism of Fatigue and the Social Buffering Role of AI Literacy

Jinrui Tian, Ronghua Zhang

Synopsis

Survey of 580 Chinese university students testing how AI dependence relates to critical thinking. Greater AI dependence is associated with lower critical thinking, partially mediated by cognitive fatigue. Information literacy buffers the dependence-CT link but paradoxically intensifies fatigue under heavy reliance.

Keywords

·AI dependence ·critical thinking ·cognitive fatigue ·information literacy ·moderated mediation

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