The Effects of Chewing Gum on the Memorization of

Psychology Students at ICI College

Aniga, Andrew A.

Bernardo, Patricia DT.

Villegas, Camille B.

May 2022

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 CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

This chapter includes the introduction, theoretical framework, statement of the

problem, hypothesis, scope and limitation, conceptual framework, significance of the study

and the definition of terms used.

Introduction

Chewing gum has recently been discovered. It became beneficial to students,

particularly those who are cramming. Several studies have been experimenting to see if

chewing gum affects memory. Chewing gum has been shown in studies to increase feelings

of relaxation, increase attention, lower stress levels, and improve memory. It also improves

alertness and cognitive performance. It may aid in other aspects of studying. It also increases

blood flow to the brain, which has multiple benefits, including improved memory. This boost

is caused by increased blood flow to the brain, with some studies indicating a 25%-40%

increase. Cognitive functions such as concentration, memory, and reaction times improved

when test subjects chewed gum. The chewing movement of the jaw was to stimulate nerves

and parts of the brain associated with arousal, in addition to increasing blood flow. It may

assist people in feeling more awake or remaining awake for a significant amount of time.

Numerous studies have shown that chewing gum improves mental performance. Chewing

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gums improves memory and other cognitive functions by increasing the amount of oxygen in

the brain. Wilkinson, L, Scholey, A & Wesnes, K (2002, Appetite. Vol.38, p.235-236)

studied word recall to see if chewing gum improves word recall. Participants who chewed a

piece of gum performed better in the same immediate and delayed word recall tests. We are

more likely to remember something if we chew gum while studying for a test and then chew

the same flavor of gums while taking the test. Chewing gum also makes it easier to recall the

lessons we learned. 

          The reason why our brain has now associated with chewing gum while studying. When

we need to recall a specific subject topic before the examination, it helps us to remember.

This study was to improve an understanding of how chewing gum affects memorization.

According to several studies, chewing gum increases a person's alertness, mood, and

attention, which may improve their cognitive function. Chewing gum is a distraction-

reduction technique. Chewing, it can make the body more awake and support brain function.

As a result, the brain becomes more active and processes more information. Some studies

stated that chewing gum increases blood flow to the brain, which has many beneficial effects

on memory. It can also lessen an individual's anxiety, stress, and depression. In addition to

improving blood flow to the brain, it can also enhance oxygen flow, which is essential for

proper brain function. Studies state that students who take chewing gum increase their

attention and become more focused on their lessons which results in better performance. The

purpose of this study was to inform us about how chewing gum contributes to the memory of

the student who takes it.

Returning to the topic of memorization and gum, we may be able to replicate this

effect while studying and taking an exam. According to Thakur, M., & Saxena, V. (2019)

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chewing gum is cheaper and healthy alternative and capable to help the students' stress in

their school life. The most important aspect of exam preparation is reviewing, and let's say

you've been struggling to learn but don't have the time to commit the information to long-

term memory. This study is where chewing gum comes in. It helps to stimulate your memory

to remember the subjects you studied while chewing.

Theoretical Framework

According to Morgan, K. et al. (2013), one of the author, chewing gum can benefit

some areas of cognition. Their study focuses on an audio task that involves short-term

memory recall to observe if chewing gum would improve the concentration of the

respondents especially in the latter part of the task. The result showed that respondents of the

study who chewed gum had quicker reaction and more accurate results than those participants

who didn't chew gum. Although the test results didn't actually solve the theory as the results

are nearly close and looks like it doesn't have any gap between the respondents who chewed

gum and those who didn't. While the Wilkinson, L., Scholey, A. & Wesnes, K. (2002) stated

the improvements in spatial and numerical working memory, and episodic memory, in the

chewing group. The capacity to maintain spatial information in working memory for a brief

number of times is called spatial working memory. In addition, the contrast to long-term

memory, which stores a large amount of knowledge over a lifetime, working memory is the

small amount of information that may be kept in mind and used to carry out cognitive tasks.

According to this study, chewing gum affects several variables, including increasing working

memory for numbers and spatial information. Therefore, it would appear that chewing gum

aids in improving memory and concentration.

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Statement of the Problem 

   This study aimed to determine eating chewing gums and its effects on the

memorization of Psychology students of ICI College at Sta. Maria, Bulacan. 

Specifically, the researchers seek the answers to the following questions:

1. What are the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of?

1.1. Age 

1.2. Gender

1.3. Year level

2. What does chewing gum yield a significant effect on memorization?

3. What does chewing gum improves the memory of psychology students in terms of?

2.1. Direction

2.2. Magnitude

Hypothesis

H1: There is a significant effect of chewing gum on memorization.

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 H0: There is no significant effect of chewing gum on memorization. 

Conceptual Framework

Figure 1.

Figure 1. Conceptual paradigm showing the effects of chewing gum on memorization of

psychology students.

The main purpose of these study was to know the effect of chewing gum on

psychology students’ memory retention. The psychological processes of gathering, saving,

holding onto, and later recovering information are called memory. Memory is composed of

three processes: encoding, storage, and retrieval. According to several studies, chewing

bubble gum can raise a person's alertness, which could improve their activity level,

attentiveness, and memory. Chewing gum is a type of sweet that you can chew for a while.

Most chewing gum produced today is gum base. The chewing gum is composed of a blend of

polymers, plasticizers, and resins. Food-grade softeners, preservatives, sweeteners, colors,

and flavorings were added.

The conceptual framework has shown the process in Figure 1. Participants may take

part in a test in which the conductors will show them flashcards and display flashcards

without respondents taking chewing gum. Then, participants will go through the same test,

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where the while the participants take chewing gum, with the chewing gum as the independent

variable. After the experiment, we will contrast the outcomes of the same respondents who

chewed gum during the pre-test and post-test. It will help the researchers to collect

information about whether gum affects the word retention of people who consume it. By

using this method, we can examine whether chewing gum can help an individual to recall

information and determine whether it can aid individuals in remembering things while taking

chewing gum.

Definition of Terms

Anxiogenic - Chewing gum is thought to improve focus by lowering stress and anxiety.

Yaman-Sözbir, Ş., et at. (2019)

Attentiveness "The person who raised his or her hand in response to every question the

teacher asked was displaying signs of attentiveness". N., Sam M.S., (2013)

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) is a component of the peripheral nervous system that

regulates involuntary physiologic processes including heart rate, blood pressure, respiration,

digestion, and sexual arousal. Waxenbaum, J., et. al. (2022)

Chewing gum is a gummy substance, such as chicle, flavored and sweetened for chewing.

Houghton, M., (2010)

Cognitive functioning comprises multiple cognitive domains, such as memory, language,

visuoconstruction, perception, attention, and executive functions. Lezak et al., (2004)

Distraction techniques - a form of coping skill, taught during cognitive behavioral therapy.

library.neura.edu.au, (2020)

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Episodic memory is a form of declarative memory that allows people to recall personally

experienced events. Tulving, (1983)

Hippocampus is thought to be principally involved in storing long-term memories and in

making those memories resistant to forgetting, though this is a matter of debate. It is also

thought to play an important role in spatial processing and navigation.

Yassa, M., et al. (2011)

Mastication is a sensory-motor activity aimed at the preparation of food for swallowing. It is

a complex process involving activities of the facial, the elevator and suprahyoidal muscles,

and the tongue. Van der Bilt, A., et al. (2006)

Memory is today defined in psychology as the faculty of encoding, storing, and retrieving

information. Squire, L., R. (2009)

Memory retention refers to the ability to remember information over a period of time. In

short, it is the process of retrieving information after it has been encoded and stored.

Occasionally, our retention may decay, and our stored memory is lost as time goes on.

Siu, J. (2022)

Spatial working memory (SWM) is a kind of short-term memory that allows to temporarily

store and manipulate spatial information. It has a limited capacity and is quite vulnerable to

interference. Guidetti, G., Guidetti, R., Manfredi, M., & Manfredi, M. (2020)

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 Chapter 2

Methodology

Research Design

The researchers used a quantitative design and within-subject design, where the

participants are from different year levels of the psychology department at ICI College

gathered in one room. The researchers will test the 10 participants' memory retention at each

year level. According to Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006) taking a memory test not

only assesses what one knows but also enhances later retention, a phenomenon known as the

testing effect. After the participants finished the task that were given, they will answer the

survey if the chewing gum are effective to them or not.

Participants of the Study

The participants of this study are Psychology students at Immaculate Conception i-

College of Arts and Technology. This study used a within-subject design which is a group of

participants will experience every level of treatment. This study needs 40 participants. The

researchers will conduct two different samplings called strata and convenience sampling. The

first is strata, a research sampling that requires a representative per year level. This study

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needs 10 participants per year level splitting into four groups. First (1st) year to Fourth (4th)

year. In addition to strata sampling, this study also likes to use convenience sampling,

wherein it is based on the availability of the respondents. This sampling will help us

guarantee the availability of each participant per year level to assure the accuracy of the study

that the researcher is conducting.

Instrument of the study

The researchers will use a pre-test and post-test type of test instrument with the 40

participants. The test will use a pre-test first, wherein participants will be tested on how many

words they can memorize without chewing gum. The participants will not receive treatment

before doing the pre-test. In each round, the participants will be given a certain amount of

time. In the first round, the participants will be given 5 minutes to memorize each word, and

the next round will be given 3 minutes, and lastly, in the final round, they will be given 1

minute to memorize words. After the pre-test, the same participants will now receive

treatment with chewing gum while doing the same test.

Data Gathering

The researchers used psychology students as data collection instruments to obtain

information. The researcher used a questionnaire to learn more about the respondents'

opinions to determine whether this type of study can be proven to be much more effective on

the type of that the researchers are conducting. In March, the researchers began a plan for

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gathering data to determine whether the study is effective research, and after finalizing the

drafts for the procedures, an instrument that is about to be used to gather data, the researchers

immediately began gathering information. The research is being carried out on 20 students

from ICI's Psychology Department. The Paired T-Test was used by the researchers to collect

all relevant information for the study. The Paired T-Test, a test based on the differences

between the values of a single pair, one deducted from the other, was used in the study. The

researchers will use the paired t-test to determine the difference in mean between pre-test and

post-test participants. The researchers used words that are rarely used that will match up

within 5 minutes, 3 minutes, and 1 minute by level without chewing gum, and after the pre-

test, the participants will receive a gum and that will be the post-test. After collecting all the

data, the researchers will compare the gathered data to know the difference in the results of

the tests. The results would hopefully be helpful to the researchers' study about the effects of

chewing gum on memorization.

Data Analysis

This study will use a Paired T-Test, which is a test based on the differences between

the values of a single pair, that is one deducted from the other. The researchers will use the

paired t-test to determine the difference in mean between the participant who undergoes the

pre-test (participants who never receive any treatment; control group) and post-test

(participants who received a treatment; experimental group) means the differences will be

compared using the paired t-test.

References
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[1] Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006) Test-Enhanced Learning: Taking Memory Tests
Improves Long-Term Retention.

[2] Wilkinson, L., Scholey, A. & Wesnes, K. (2002) Chewing gum selectively improves

aspects of memory in healthy volunteers. Appetite, 235-236.

[3] Morgan, K., et al. (2013) Chewing gum moderates the vigilance decrement.

[4] Thakur, M., & Saxena, V. (2019) the Effects of Chewing Gum on Memory and
Concentration.

[5] Guidetti, G., Guidetti, R., Manfredi, M., & Manfredi, M., (2020) Vestibular pathology
and spatial working memory.
[6] Siu, J. (2022) Memory Retention. curioustem.org/stem-articles/memory-retention

[7] Squire, L., R. (2009) Memory. jneurosci.org/content/29/41/12711

[8] Van der Bilt, A., et al. (2006) Physiology & Behavior, 89, 22-27.
[9] Yassa, M., et al. (2011) Age-related memory deficits linked to circuit-specific disruptions
in the hippocampus. pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1101567108

[10] Tulving, (1983) Elements of Episodic Memory.

[11]library.neura.edu.au,(2020)library.neura.edu.au/schizophrenia/treatments/psychosocial/
therapies-psychosocial/distraction-techniques/
[12] Lezak et al., (2004) Executive and Non-Executive Cognitive Abilities in Teenagers:
Differences as a Function of Intelligence.
[13] Houghton, M., (2010)collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/chewing-gum

[14] Waxenbaum, J., et al. (2022) Anatomy, Autonomic Nervous System.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30969667/
[15] N., Sam M.S., (2013)psychologydictionary.org/attentiveness/
[16] Yaman-Sözbir, Ş., et at. (2019) Effect of chewing gum on stress, anxiety,
depression, self-focused attention, and academic success: A randomized controlled

study. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31125164/

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