Gaze improves working memory for verbal items
Background Previous studies have shown that stimuli that another individual looks at are better remembered than stimuli that are not looked at, suggesting that joint attention improves memory. However, these previous studies have differed in the type of memory being tested and the type of content that is to-be-remembered: while effects of joint attention on long-term memory were tested with verbalizable stimuli, effects on working memory have only been tested with visual stimuli such as colour. Thus, the aim of the current study is to extend these previous findings and investigate whether joint attention improves working memory for verbalizable stimuli. Methods Participants were first presented with an image of a face with eyes that gazed either to the left or to the right, after which a grid of 4 letters (2x2) was shown. On half of trials, this grid with letters was shown in the same direction that was gazed at, and in the other half of the trials, in the other direction. After a retention interval (1000 ms), participants were shown a letter in the centre of the screen and asked to judge whether they have seen this letter as part of the grid shown before. Results Our results revealed that participants’ judgements about whether they had previously seen the letter was more accurate for letters that had been gazed at than letters that had not been gazed at. In contrast, participants’ reaction times were not influenced by whether the letter had been gazed at. Conclusions Our findings suggest that joint attention can improve working memory for verbalizable stimuli such as letters.