Parul Patneja and Sandeep Singh
Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar (Haryana)
Pages: 277-283
Among the various generative AI applications, ChatGPT has emerged as one of the
most widely adopted tools. Excessive use of ChatGPT may influence not only students’
psychological outcomes but also their cognitive abilities. Among these cognitive abilities,
creative thinking is particularly important. Existing studies related to have largely
focused on its acceptance, perceived usefulness, academic applications, and learning
outcomes, while comparatively less attention has been given to its relationship with
critical thinking. The study included a sample of 116 university students aged 18-28
years. Data were collected using standardized questionnaires. Pearson’s correlation,
and multiple linear regression were used to analyse the data. The regression model
was statistically significant, F(5, 110) = 23.88, p < .001, and explained 52.0% of the
variance in critical thinking (adjusted R² = .499). Perceived value of AI emerged as the
strongest significant predictor of critical thinking (â = .471, p < .001), followed by
knowledge of AI (â = .386, p < .001). These findings suggest that students’ understanding
of Generative AI and the value they attach to it may be more closely related to critical
thinking than frequency of use or intention to use alone. However, because the study
was cross-sectional and relied on self-reported measures.