Click on the banner below to read an article reporting evidence of the relationship between gum chewing and cognition. (Note the website on which these results are being reported)
I do not know if giving you gum to chew during a test is improving your cognitive skills or not. It turns out, according to Christopher Green, a psychology professor at York University in Toronto, that "Beech-Nut and Wrigley have a long history of commissioning research to
"demonstrate" that gum chewing has various fashionably healthful consequences. Beech-Nut commissioned the well-known Columbia
psychologist Harry Hollingworth to write a whole book on the topic --
/The Psycho-Dynamics of Gum Chewing/ (1939). Phil Wrigley (legendarily
awful owner of the Chicago Cubs) used this and other research to
persuade the US military to include his chewing gum in the K-rations of
every single US soldier sent to Europe during WWII. He made (more of) a
fortune (see my "Psychology Strikes Out: Coleman R. Griffith and the
Chicago Cubs" /History of Psychology, 6/, 267-283. footnote 5).
Gum companies aren't the only ones to use "scientific" research as part
of their marketing campaigns. Coca Cola hired Hollingworth back in 1911
to show that the caffeine they added to their product did not have have
detrimental effects, and then to testify on their behalf in a court case
(see Benjamin, L. T., Rogers, A. M., & Rosenbaum, A. (1991). Coca-Cola,
caffeine, and mental deficiency: Harry Hollingworth and the Chattanooga
trial of 1911. /Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 27/,
42-55)."
So what do you think? Does chewing gum improve you ability to concentrate or not?
I do not know if giving you gum to chew during a test is improving your cognitive skills or not. It turns out, according to Christopher Green, a psychology professor at York University in Toronto, that "Beech-Nut and Wrigley have a long history of commissioning research to "demonstrate" that gum chewing has various fashionably healthful consequences. Beech-Nut commissioned the well-known Columbia
psychologist Harry Hollingworth to write a whole book on the topic --
/The Psycho-Dynamics of Gum Chewing/ (1939). Phil Wrigley (legendarily
awful owner of the Chicago Cubs) used this and other research to
persuade the US military to include his chewing gum in the K-rations of
every single US soldier sent to Europe during WWII. He made (more of) a
fortune (see my "Psychology Strikes Out: Coleman R. Griffith and the
Chicago Cubs" /History of Psychology, 6/, 267-283. footnote 5).
Gum companies aren't the only ones to use "scientific" research as part
of their marketing campaigns. Coca Cola hired Hollingworth back in 1911
to show that the caffeine they added to their product did not have have
detrimental effects, and then to testify on their behalf in a court case
(see Benjamin, L. T., Rogers, A. M., & Rosenbaum, A. (1991). Coca-Cola,
caffeine, and mental deficiency: Harry Hollingworth and the Chattanooga
trial of 1911. /Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 27/,
42-55)."
So what do you think? Does chewing gum improve you ability to concentrate or not?
i don't believe it does. personally, i chew gum to cure boredom. chewing gum makes it harder for me to focus, not easier. Wrigley's article seemed like they just made up a bunch of facts and fake tests to make gum seem like some God send.
ReplyDelete-Rachael Peterson, 1st hour
I do believe gum helps people concentrate. I chew gum to relieve stress and stay focused, and i am always chewing gum. I do believe it helps me. In the article i was surprised to see the results of the test of students who chew gum during a test. Students who did not chewed gum had a mean score of 60 and students who chewed gum during the test had a mean score of 90. Overall I do agree with the article.
ReplyDelete-Sonia Mathew, 3rd hour
I do believe that chewing gum can somewhat help concentration. I usually always chew gum while I'm in school, and when I'm not chewing gum I find that i crave it. I also find myself losing focus more easily than I would if I did have gum. Similar to experiments in the article I also find that I can concentrate much better if I'm chewing gum during a test. I couldn't believe the results of some of the tests they conducted. I definately agree with this article, and I myslef find gum to be very helpful.
ReplyDeleteSarah Lancaster
3rd period
I am a fan of chewing gum during school. I find that it distracts your mind from other more distracting things going on in the room. And if I am not chewing gum I feel like I need to be and that in itself distacts me. So in my case I believe that chewing gum is a useful tool for succeeding on tests and in school.
ReplyDeleteIn my own words, I beleive that chewing gum is extremely important for concentration in all matters. I personally find myself salivating constantly without gum, and unable to focus. This is why I enjoy mrs castellis class so thoroughly and find it so thought provoking. Jack Rigali 6th
ReplyDelete