Memory for animate and inanimate action sequences

Abstract

Recent research has discovered that individuals have better memory for animate words compared to inanimate words, indicating that the concept of animacy has implications for memory. However, no research to date has examined memory for more complex stimuli, such as action sequences. To investigate the influence of animacy on action sequences, 100 participants were recruited through the University of Regina Department of Psychology Pool of Research Participants to explore whether the same benefits of animacy were observed when physical contact with an animate object was involved. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions – animate or inanimate – and shown a short demonstration with five target objects. The animate condition contained a toy dog whereas the inanimate condition contained a Lego structure. The participants’ task was to correctly recall the order and actions of the demonstration. Participants also did a spatial working memory and a verbal working memory task to determine whether these memory systems are correlated with memory for action sequences. The results displayed that participants recalled more subactions and had significantly better memory for order in the animate condition compared to the inanimate condition. The findings of this study can have implications for individuals in their everyday life, as including animacy can provide a benefit in learning new skill sets at home, school, or work.