Task Difficulty Modulates the Effect of Eye Contact on Word Memory

Abstract

Abstract The influence of eye contact on memory has been a topic of extensive study, yet its effects remain ambiguous. This inconsistency may be attributed to the varying levels of task difficulty encountered during such research. To explore this possibility, our study employed a word memory task, integrating eye gaze, to examine how task difficulty (easy or difficult) modulates the effect of eye contact on word memory. 41 participants engaged in memory tasks under varying eye contact conditions. Our findings reveal a significant interaction between task difficulty and eye contact: for easy tasks, memory accuracy was lower with eye contact, whereas for difficult tasks, accuracy improved in the presence of eye contact. Intriguingly, this effect was predominantly observed in female participants. In easy tasks, eye contact appeared to hinder memory performance in females, while it enhanced performance in difficult tasks. These results suggest that the impact of eye contact on memory is not uniformly positive or negative but is contingent on task complexity and is influenced by gender differences. This study contributes new insights into the fluctuating effects of eye contact on memory, thereby enriching our understanding of the relationship between non-verbal social cues and cognitive processes.