Larger Images for Better Visual Memory

Article: In visual memory, size matters
Source: Bar-Ilan University (Israel)
Published: January 23, 2022

Visual memory is assumed to rely on high-level neural processing, some of which maintains the perception of size constancy despite changes in the area the image occupies on our retina. Yet, given that we encounter varying visual stimuli in the world around us all the time, some of which are better retained in visual memory than others, researchers in Israel thought to explore whether image size has an influence on visual memory in naturalistic vision, reasoning that larger images would stimulate more photoreceptors, and thus more neurons, and therefore be better remembered. In a series of seven experiments, 182 naïve participants (aged 18-40) were asked to freely view presented images (i.e., without an instructed task), followed by a surprise recognition test. Their study showed for the first time that in natural vision, visual memory of images is affected by the size of the image on the retina, robustly showing that larger images result in (1.5 times) better visual memory compared to smaller images. The finding was consistent even after controlling for image set, presentation order, screen resolution, image scaling at test, and the amount of information (detail) the image contained. For example, blurry large images were better remembered than clear small images. Similarly, a larger version of an image was better remembered than a smaller version of the same image. Senior author of the study explains, "In areas of the brain that represent the retinal image, more resources will be directed to processing large images than to processing small images because the processing is determined by the area of the retina that the image stimulates," adding that larger images could also elicit more eye movement and attention. In today's digital world filled with screens of varying sizes, such a finding has potentially wide-ranging implications from education to entertainment. For example, while smart phones are readily available, quality of learning could be improved by using larger screens. From a neurological standpoint, the study is also significant in showing that both low-level and high-level processing contribute to visual memory. The researchers note that their study examined only static images and look to follow up examining dynamic images, such as videos.

Memory of larger blurry images (24°Blur.) was better than that of sharp smaller images
(3°Sharp), even though they both carried the same amount of image information

My rating of this study: ⭐⭐

Masarwa S, Kreichman O, and Gilaie-Dotan S. "Larger images are better remembered during naturalistic encoding." PNAS.  119(4):e2119614119. 25 January 2022. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2119614119