The Effect of Eye Contact on Auditory Recall

Authors

Sara Grace Lill
Isha Kapoor
Oluwatoni Akanda
Khanh Nguyen

Publication Date

2023

College

Sciences and Mathematics, College of

Department

Psychological Science, Department of

SURS Faculty Advisor

Timothy Schoenfeld

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Abstract

Memory is at the basis of perception and provides functionality to our daily lives. Auditory stimulation has been shown to bias eye movement and improve memory (Liping, et. al, 2021), but the mechanisms behind the guidance of eye movements remain unclear (Higgins, et. al, 2014). This study investigates the correlation between eye contact and memory, focusing on recall, and exploring eye contact’s potential to enhance recall during both immediate and delayed assessments (Craft 21 Recall). Thirty undergraduate students from Belmont University, completed the Craft 21 Recall assessment after watching a video featuring a virtual speaker reading a short story. The participants were exposed to either eye contact or no eye contact stimuli, and their maintenance of eye contact with the speaker was recorded using an eye tracker. Additionally, this research aims to distinguish recall outcomes based on the participants' personality types, using the Eysenck Personality Inventory. The objective is to investigate whether different personality types have an impact on recall. It is hypothesized that establishing eye contact with the speaker would influence individualized emotional responses, enabling stronger memory connections that would be reflected in the recall assessment. To manipulate the independent variable (eye contact), an eye tracker was used to ensure that participants maintained eye contact in accordance with their randomly assigned stimuli. The predicted results indicate that eye contact improves recall and that extroverts show higher levels of recall. The study's findings are novel and further research is needed to better understand the relationship between eye contact and memory.

Recommended Citation

Lill, Sara Grace; Kapoor, Isha; Akanda, Oluwatoni; and Nguyen, Khanh, "The Effect of Eye Contact on Auditory Recall" (2023). Science University Research Symposium (SURS). 79.
https://repository.belmont.edu/surs/79