Chew on this: No support for facilitating effects of gum on spatial task performance.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether chewing of gum facilitates spatial task performance in healthy participants, two behavioral experiments were performed.


METHODS
In the first experiment, spatial task performance of 349 men and women preceding and after treatment administration (saccharated chewing gum, sugar-free chewing gum, no chewing gum) was assessed using effect modeling by means of Item Response Theory. In the second experiment, another 100 participants were either administered sugar-free chewing gum or no chewing gum during spatial task performance. Effects of gum in the second study were assessed by standard means of data analysis.


RESULTS
Results indicated no significant effects of either chewing gum or sugar on spatial task performance in either experiment.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings are consistent with recent studies investigating the influences of chewing gum on various memory functions, extending them by another measure of cognitive ability. Thus, further doubt is cast on enhancing effects of chewing gum on cognitive task performance.
Nader
Ingo W
IW
University of Vienna, Faculty of Psychology, Department of Basic Psychological Research, 1010 Wien, Austria.
Gittler
Georg
G
Waldherr
Karin
K
Pietschnig
Jakob
J
D000328:Adult; D002638:Chewing Gum; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000494:pharmacology; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication / Q000502:physiology; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D011594:Psychometrics; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013028:Space Perception / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013549:Sweetening Agents
D002638:Chewing Gum; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D013549:Sweetening Agents