Today's literature is mixed. Some research states that photo-taking can lead to impairments, but other studies said it could lead to self-improvement.
A Mail Online report said that it is possible that merely accomplishing two tasks at once, specifically photo-taking and viewing, could result in the impairment or damage in memory pertaining to photographed objects.
The study authors held a series of experiments involving more than 500 participants who were presented different pieces of artwork which include sketches, photographs and paintings.
The study volunteers were asked to take pictures of some of the pieces of art through the use of a camera phone, while the others just watched.
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Research recently found photo-taking can lead to impairments.
Perceptual and Conceptual Categorization
Study participants were then informed that they were to accomplish a memory test for the pieces of artwork they viewed.
As indicated in the study entitled "Photo-Taking Impairs Memory on Perceptual and Conceptual Memory Tests," published in the Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, the artwork use tested two kinds of object categorization by the human brain. These types are called 'perceptual' and 'conceptual' categorizations.
As their names propose, according to the Journal of Anthropological Psychology, perceptual pertains to specific details perceived and calculates the resemblance of one object to the other.
Conceptual, on the other hand, is grounded on notions and concepts. It enables one to remember objects according to what they do.
For the perceptual memory test, volunteers had to determine if they had seen among two other 'foils' visually alike images.
Research Findings
The somewhat easier conceptual test engaged recognition of a concept that had been studied previously, also positioned alongside two other foils.
Foils, the study authors explained, were chosen to be perceptually and conceptually alike and were composed of two pieces more from the same artist or a pair of pieces by a different artist that presented the same object.
Over five tests, the researchers found that photographed artwork was "remembered more poorly" compared to the artwork that was just viewed, after both a brief 20-minute and 48-hour delay between both looking and recalling them.
As a result, the team found that participants experienced memory damage on tests driven both conceptually and perceptually.
They explained that it is "seldom the case" that photos are taken to remember experiences that took place just minutes before. Rather, it's done by one so he can revisit experiences further in the future, like several years after, when he is scrolling up and down his camera roll.
Reliance on the Camera
The study also suggested that scrolling through the camera roll, it triggers a memory in one's unconscious mind and it also gives one a "pleasant burst of nostalgia." However, it can take something away from the original moment.
Possibly, said Binghamton University's Rebecca Lurie, the study's lead author, the participants may be reliant on the camera to remember the photographed object for them leading to impaired memory for the photographed image.
One drawback of the study is that it concentrated on art. But this in itself can have consequences for visiting world-famous artworks in museums.
For instance, the report specified, Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night, housed at the New York City-based Museum of Modern Art, is typically surrounded by people with their smartphones ticking pictures of it.
Nonetheless, soaking up the complex details of such a masterpiece with one's own eyes is debatably more rewarding and develops longer-lasting remembrances.
A related report is shown on Wired's YouTube video below:
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