- Previous research has shown that chewing gum can improve concentration in visual memory tasks. This study focused on the potential benefits of chewing gum during an audio memory task.
- The study involved 38 participants being split in to two groups. Both groups completed a 30 minute audio task that involved listening to a list of numbers from 1-9 being read out in a random manner. Participants were scored on how accurately and quickly they were able to detect a sequence of odd-even-odd numbers, such as 7-2-1.
- The results showed that participants who chewed gum had quicker reaction times and more accurate results than the participants who didn't chew gum. This was especially the case towards the end of the task.
- "Interestingly participants who didn't chew gum performed slightly better at the beginning of the task but were overtaken by the end. This suggests that chewing gum helps us focus on tasks that require continuous monitoring over a longer amount of time."
Sounds intriguing. But 19 participants per condition sounds awfully modest (although sample sizes in Cognitive studies are often small). And what about people (like myself) who chew gum regularly vs. those who rarely indulge?
As reported on Science Daily.
Kate Morgan, Andrew J. Johnson and Christopher Miles.Chewing gum moderates the vigilance decrement.British Journal of Psychology, 8 MAR 2013 DOI:10.1111/bjop.12025
