The study by Lanthier, Jarick, Zhu, Byun, and Kingstone (2019) explores how eye contact during verbal communication affects memory retention, emphasizing the potential cognitive benefits of maintaining eye contact.
Research Context
Understanding how nonverbal cues like eye contact influence cognitive processes such as memory is crucial. Lanthier and colleagues investigated whether eye contact could enhance or hinder memory for spoken information.
Methodology
- Participants: Eighty-four undergraduate students from the University of British Columbia participated in the study, with an equal number of males and females.
- Experimental Design: The study used a 2 (Investigator gaze: eye contact vs. no eye contact) by 2 (Participant gender: male vs. female) mixed design. Participants were exposed to words read aloud by an investigator who either made eye contact or did not.
- Data Collection: Participants' memory for the words was tested through a recognition task, assessing how many words they could recall based on the eye contact condition.
Key Findings
- Memory Enhancement: Participants who experienced eye contact recognized more words compared to those who did not receive eye contact, indicating that eye contact can significantly enhance memory retention.
- Social Cues and Cognitive Processing: The presence of eye contact during verbal communication played a crucial role in enhancing cognitive processing, suggesting that socially communicative cues like eye contact are integral to memory retention.
- Attention and Focus: Eye contact was found to increase participants' attention and focus during the interaction, contributing to better memory retention of the information presented.
Impact
- Educational Settings: Teachers and educators can improve student engagement and memory retention by maintaining eye contact during lessons. This is especially beneficial for students, enhancing their learning experience.
- Professional Presentations: In business environments, maintaining eye contact during presentations or sales pitches can enhance information retention and engagement.
- Telehealth and Virtual Communication: For telehealth providers and virtual communicators, ensuring eye contact through proper camera placement can bridge the gap caused by physical distance, improving cognitive engagement and memory retention for clients and patients.
Conclusion
The study by Lanthier et al. (2019) demonstrates that eye contact significantly enhances memory retention. These findings highlight the importance of eye contact as a nonverbal cue in improving cognitive processes and emphasize its potential applications across various settings.
References
Lanthier, S. N., Jarick, M., Zhu, M. J. H., Byun, C. S. J., & Kingstone, A. (2019). Socially Communicative Eye Contact and Gender Affect Memory. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1128. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01128.
