Symbolism itself does not improve memory for elements on the periodic table
Abstract Recent work demonstrates that symbols (e.g., $) are reliably better remembered than their word counterparts (e.g., ‘dollar’). It remains an open question whether the memory benefit observed for symbols is due to their unique visual form, or because they offer a symbolic representation of to...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-02-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87612-5 |
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| author | Brady R. T. Roberts Sophia H. N. Tran Myra A. Fernandes |
| author_facet | Brady R. T. Roberts Sophia H. N. Tran Myra A. Fernandes |
| author_sort | Brady R. T. Roberts |
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| description | Abstract Recent work demonstrates that symbols (e.g., $) are reliably better remembered than their word counterparts (e.g., ‘dollar’). It remains an open question whether the memory benefit observed for symbols is due to their unique visual form, or because they offer a symbolic representation of to-be-remembered information. Here, we assessed memory for symbols on the periodic table of elements, which could be presented in symbol format (e.g., H) or word format (e.g., Hydrogen), and compared both to memory for meaningless letters (e.g., J). These stimuli were selected because they all share the same visual features and the former two share the same meaning. Memory was compared across individuals with and without a background in chemistry. In non-experts, memory was highest for words relative to symbols and meaningless letters. In experts (students who had passed an introductory chemistry course), however, memory for words and symbols was equivalent, with both higher than for meaningless letters. Results suggest that prior knowledge of what a symbol means is necessary to gain a memory benefit over semantically-void information, but is not enough to boost memory relative to words. We suggest that using a concrete visual symbol to represent an abstract concept is not enough to confer a memory advantage relative to words; a meaningful and visually distinctive symbol may be necessary. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-08f435c2ff9e4c22ac84b2c0f849d366 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-08f435c2ff9e4c22ac84b2c0f849d3662025-02-09T12:30:27ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-02-011511910.1038/s41598-025-87612-5Symbolism itself does not improve memory for elements on the periodic tableBrady R. T. Roberts0Sophia H. N. Tran1Myra A. Fernandes2Department of Psychology, University of ChicagoDepartment of Psychology, University of WaterlooDepartment of Psychology, University of WaterlooAbstract Recent work demonstrates that symbols (e.g., $) are reliably better remembered than their word counterparts (e.g., ‘dollar’). It remains an open question whether the memory benefit observed for symbols is due to their unique visual form, or because they offer a symbolic representation of to-be-remembered information. Here, we assessed memory for symbols on the periodic table of elements, which could be presented in symbol format (e.g., H) or word format (e.g., Hydrogen), and compared both to memory for meaningless letters (e.g., J). These stimuli were selected because they all share the same visual features and the former two share the same meaning. Memory was compared across individuals with and without a background in chemistry. In non-experts, memory was highest for words relative to symbols and meaningless letters. In experts (students who had passed an introductory chemistry course), however, memory for words and symbols was equivalent, with both higher than for meaningless letters. Results suggest that prior knowledge of what a symbol means is necessary to gain a memory benefit over semantically-void information, but is not enough to boost memory relative to words. We suggest that using a concrete visual symbol to represent an abstract concept is not enough to confer a memory advantage relative to words; a meaningful and visually distinctive symbol may be necessary.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87612-5MemoryDual-codingSymbolismSymbolic cognitionPeriodic table of elements |
| spellingShingle | Brady R. T. Roberts Sophia H. N. Tran Myra A. Fernandes Symbolism itself does not improve memory for elements on the periodic table Scientific Reports Memory Dual-coding Symbolism Symbolic cognition Periodic table of elements |
| title | Symbolism itself does not improve memory for elements on the periodic table |
| title_full | Symbolism itself does not improve memory for elements on the periodic table |
| title_fullStr | Symbolism itself does not improve memory for elements on the periodic table |
| title_full_unstemmed | Symbolism itself does not improve memory for elements on the periodic table |
| title_short | Symbolism itself does not improve memory for elements on the periodic table |
| title_sort | symbolism itself does not improve memory for elements on the periodic table |
| topic | Memory Dual-coding Symbolism Symbolic cognition Periodic table of elements |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87612-5 |
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