Photographic Memory: The Effects of Volitional Photo Taking on Memory for Visual and Auditory Aspects of an Experience.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Series of experimental laboratory and field trials comparing intervention conditions to control groups
PubMed 28650721 · doi:10.1177/0956797617694868
What was done
Across one field study and three laboratory experiments, researchers tested the effect of volitional photo-taking on unaided memory for visual and auditory aspects of an experience. Participants permitted to take photos freely (or instructed to take mental photos) were compared with participants who could not take photos. Visual and auditory recognition memory were tested without allowing participants to review the photos taken. An internal meta-analysis combining all four studies was also conducted.
What was found
The abstract does not provide specific numerical values, effect sizes, or confidence intervals. Directionally, participants who took photographs or mental photographs recognized more visual aspects and fewer auditory aspects of the experience compared to participants who took no photographs. Participants using cameras recognized photographed visual elements better than non-photographed elements, but also recognized non-photographed visual elements better than participants without cameras.
Why it matters
This study indicates that photo-taking directs attentional resources toward visual stimuli and away from auditory stimuli during an experience, altering encoding rather than merely functioning as an external storage device.
Limits
The abstract provides no sample sizes, demographic data, or quantitative metrics. The duration of memory retention and the effects across varied real-world contexts or complex auditory tasks were not specified in the abstract.