University of Indiana

These findings may be of particular interest to educators as well as for marketing and advertising agencies.

EXCERPTS:

• How might the introduction of depth affect pictures?
• Would Stereo3D depth make pictures or objects more memorable or more noticeable?

To find answers to these questions, Dr. Busey asked subjects to study both Stereo3D and monoscopic (standard 2D) pictures. He then tested his subjects' recall by adding new Stereo3D and monoscopic pictures, and asking subjects to remember which were the original pictures.

The results of the pilot study show that:

1. Subjects performed best when the pictures were studied in Stereo3D and tested in Stereo3D. Dr. Busey believes that these results reflect a theory of encoding specificity, which says that memory recall will be best if the same cues (like depth) associated with encoding a memory are also present during attempts at retrieving it.

2. Viewing a product advertisement is analogous to a study session; choosing between various products in a shopping environment is analogous to a test session. Since consumers usually purchase products in person and in an environment laden with depth cues, products should also be advertised using Stereo3D depth cues. These depth "clues" would make images both more noticeable and more memorable.

3. Performance was poorest when the subjects studied flat pictures and then were tested with Stereo3D pictures. This condition is directly analogous to the current situation in advertising: flat advertisements and stereo product selection. This means that the current form of advertising potentially produces the weakest memory representation, and therefore the least product recognition.