Wildflowers: Memory Recall
Poster Number
21B
Format
Poster Presentation
Faculty Mentor Name
Zsolt Palatinus
Faculty Mentor Department
Psychology
Graduate Student Mentor Name
Leah Ward
Abstract/Artist Statement
Abstract
Aroma of stimulants such as coffee, stimulate the frontal cortical areas of the brain associated with working memory (Ortiz and Estrella, 2016). In the research study of Martin and Chaundry (2014), results showed that females significantly outperformed the males when a pleasant scent was used. Our study aims at looking further into the effects of certain aromas on memory recall. In a preliminary experiment, we examined if the aroma of coffee would have an influence on memory recall of University of the Pacific students. Results indicated that the influence of coffee aroma had no significant effect. To further our investigation, we sought to test the effects of citrus and lavender on memory recall. Thirty University of the Pacific students (18-30 years) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (no scent control, citrus scent, and lavender scent). We hypothesize that citrus scent will have a positive effect on memory recall while lavender scent will have a negative influence. We will use a simple memory test consisting of thirty-five words, participants will be given one minute to the study the words on the list. After a twenty second interval, participants will write as many words as they can remember on a blank sheet of paper. Results will be analyzed using a One-way ANOVA test, and an excel program will be used to make graphs and charts. Data collection is ongoing. Our poster will include, brief summary of previous studies, results, discussion, graphs, and limitations.
Location
DeRosa University Center, Ballroom
Start Date
29-4-2017 10:00 AM
End Date
29-4-2017 12:00 PM
Wildflowers: Memory Recall
DeRosa University Center, Ballroom
Abstract
Aroma of stimulants such as coffee, stimulate the frontal cortical areas of the brain associated with working memory (Ortiz and Estrella, 2016). In the research study of Martin and Chaundry (2014), results showed that females significantly outperformed the males when a pleasant scent was used. Our study aims at looking further into the effects of certain aromas on memory recall. In a preliminary experiment, we examined if the aroma of coffee would have an influence on memory recall of University of the Pacific students. Results indicated that the influence of coffee aroma had no significant effect. To further our investigation, we sought to test the effects of citrus and lavender on memory recall. Thirty University of the Pacific students (18-30 years) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (no scent control, citrus scent, and lavender scent). We hypothesize that citrus scent will have a positive effect on memory recall while lavender scent will have a negative influence. We will use a simple memory test consisting of thirty-five words, participants will be given one minute to the study the words on the list. After a twenty second interval, participants will write as many words as they can remember on a blank sheet of paper. Results will be analyzed using a One-way ANOVA test, and an excel program will be used to make graphs and charts. Data collection is ongoing. Our poster will include, brief summary of previous studies, results, discussion, graphs, and limitations.