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Updated: Aug 11, 2026
09:31
Touchscreen Sustained Attention Task (SAT) for Rats
Published on: September 15, 2017
The Spatial Production Effect With Touchscreen Responses
Monika Daigle1, Sébastien Gionet1, Dominic Guitard2
1École de Psychologie, Université de Moncton, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.
Experimental Psychology
|August 10, 2026
Summary
The production effect enhances memory for spoken words. However, bodily actions like touching dots during spatial memory tasks can disrupt rehearsal, hindering memory recall, especially with more complex movements.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human Memory
- Embodied Cognition
Background:
- The production effect shows spoken words are better remembered than silent ones, attributed to distinctiveness.
- This effect has been explored in visuospatial memory, with mixed results due to potential rehearsal disruption.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if natural, body-anchored actions influence the production effect in visuospatial memory.
- To determine if increased bodily engagement can overcome rehearsal disruption.
Main Methods:
- Participants encoded sequences of spatial locations on a touchscreen.
- Memory for order reconstruction was tested under conditions with varying levels of physical interaction (touching dots, tracing paths).
Main Results:
- Simple touching of dots impaired memory compared to remaining still.
- Touching dots improved memory when rehearsal was controlled for, suggesting a balance.
- More complex actions, like tracing paths, further impaired memory.
Conclusions:
- Increased bodily engagement in spatial tasks does not consistently replicate the verbal production effect.
- While spatial production can add distinctiveness, its benefits are negated by disruption to serial spatial rehearsal.
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