Amplifier or substitute? A systematic review of generative AI's impact on higher-order cognitive skills among university students
Abstract
Background: As generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) becomes embedded in university learning environments, understanding its effects on students' higher-order cognitive development has become one of the most pressing questions in educational research.
Methods: This systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines, synthesizing 89 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2024 and 2026 from Web of Science and Scopus. Narrative synthesis was employed to integrate findings across studies.
Results: GenAI's cognitive effects were neither uniform nor unconditional: positive outcomes were documented in 40.4% of studies and mixed or conditional effects in 23.6%. ChatGPT was the predominant tool examined (n = 61, 68.5%), and mixed-methods designs were most prevalent (42.7%). Critically, 55.1% of studies employed no specified pedagogical strategy, and explicit theoretical frameworks were identified in only 25.8% of the corpus. Over-reliance emerged as the leading cognitive risk (33.7%), followed by reduced analytical autonomy (20.2%) and cognitive offloading (18.0%).
Discussion: These findings support a Dual-Mechanism Model: GenAI functions as a cognitive amplifier under structured pedagogical conditions and as a cognitive substitute under unguided use. The evidence calls on universities to anchor GenAI integration within deliberate instructional frameworks that preserve students' cognitive agency and foreground autonomous higher-order reasoning.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 61 participants or records.
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