Date of Event
4-22-2022
Document Type
Poster
Department
Psychology, Criminal Justice and Sociology
Advisor
John Bechtold
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to test the effects of aroma on word recall and determine how aroma interacts with the memory strategy used in a paired-word associative memory task. Twenty-nine undergraduates were randomly assigned to a room diffusing either Doterra essential oil blend Motivate or pure peppermint essential oil. Students memorized a list of 20 word-pairs using either repetitive or elaborative rehearsal. Following a delay, students recalled the second word in the pair after being given the first word as a prompt. Participants using the elaboration memory strategy recalled more words than those using the repetition memory strategy. This research may be helpful to consumers or students seeking to understand if any particular essential oil or oil blend facilitates cognitive functioning. Future research could compare several different aroma blends to see if they improve specific types of memory tasks.
Recommended Citation
Anders, Victoria Renee and Bechtold, John, "Pure Essential Oil vs. Blend: Word Recall Memory Strategies" (2022). 2022 SACS Symposium. 2.
https://mosaic.messiah.edu/sacs2022/2
Comments
This project was completed as part of HONR 499. It was shared at the First Annual SACS Undergraduate Research Day on Friday, April 22, 2022. Messiah University IRB: 2021-048