ABSTRACT

Eye contact enhances memory for spoken words. The present research examined if a similar effect occurs when one observes rather than experiences eye contact, and whether the effect extends to situations where physical presence is eliminated (i.e., video-conferencing). In two studies a live investigator read words aloud while making eye contact with a participant, their partner, or neither individual (baseline); either in person (Experiment 1) or over Skype (Experiment 2). Replicating and extending previous work, experiencing eye contact improved word recognition. However, observing eye contact between a partner and the investigator resulted in a significant decline in memory performance only when experienced in person (Experiment 1). The results indicate that during a group-interaction, eye contact communicates for whom the message is intended, and this increases memory performance for the person who experiences eye contact, and decreases performance for the excluded individual when eye contact is observed in person.

摘要

眼神交流可以增强口语的记忆力。本研究检查了当一个人观察而不是经历眼神接触时是否会发生类似的效果，以及这种效果是否会延伸到消除物理存在的情况（即视频会议）。在两项研究中，一名现场调查员在与参与者、他们的伴侣或任何人（基线）进行眼神交流时大声朗读单词；亲自（实验 1）或通过 Skype（实验 2）。复制和扩展以前的工作，体验眼神交流改进了单词识别。然而，观察只有在亲身经历时，合作伙伴和调查员之间的眼神交流才会导致记忆力显着下降（实验 1）。结果表明，在群体互动期间，眼神交流会传达信息的目标对象，这会提高经历眼神交流的人的记忆能力，而当亲自观察到眼神交流时，会降低被排除在外的人的记忆力。