The effect of photo-taking on memory: naturalistic conditions challenge the impairment effect

A photo-taking impairment effect, wherein photographing objects leads to poorer subsequent memory for those objects than simply observing them, has been well-documented in previous research. However, previous studies have typically provided poor analogues of everyday photo-taking behaviour. The current study investigated the effect of photo-taking on memory in a naturalistic procedure. Participants took a self-guided tour of an art gallery, during which they photographed some exhibits, and observed others without photographing them. We simultaneously manipulated the degree of choice over what to capture by comparing one condition in which participants were required to photograph certain items to another in which only the required number of photographs was specified. Memory was measured after a 48-hour delay, using a multiple choice test probing specific visual details of each exhibit. Results showed that memory was better for items that were photographed compared with those that were only observed. The improvement in memory was driven by volitional photo capture, whereas there was no evidence for an effect of photo taking on memory in the forced capture condition. These results are inconsistent with previous research demonstrating a photo-taking impairment effect, indicating that under naturalistic conditions photo-taking does not hinder, and may even benefit, subsequent memory.