Art and memory: An examination of the learning benefits of visual-art exposure

Past research has indicated that art education can benefit students' education by increasing their learning and memory abilities. However, these studies typically occur with children rather than adults. Moreover, these studies do not examine what effects different types of art exposure have on people's memory. The current study examined these effects by exposing participants to various conditions involving writing, viewing works of art, a presentation of shapes, tracing, and active art engagement. Results showed a significant difference in memory scores between conditions, with the drawing condition yielding the best memory scores. Implications for these findings are discussed.