Chewing gum benefits sustained attention in the absence of task degradation

Abstract

Objectives

The present study examined the effect of chewing gum on sustained attention and associated changes in subjective alertness.

Methods

In a within-participants design, 20 participants completed an extended version of the sustained attention response task (SART: Robertson et al., 1997), both with and without chewing gum. Self-rated measures of alertness, contentedness, and calmness were taken before and after the SART.

Results

Chewing gum was associated with improved attentional task performance. This finding was not contingent upon a general decrease in attentional performance and was apparent at all stages of the task. Subjective measures of alertness, contentedness, and calmness were higher following the chewing of gum. Changes in sustained attention co-varied with subjective alertness.

Discussion

The effects of chewing gum on attention and alertness are consistent with past literature and were not contingent on declines in attention. Additionally, we found evidence that gum-induced changes in self-rated alertness and attention are related. We found no support for the proposition that chewing gum can impair attention due to the division of resources.

Keywords:

• Chewing gum
• Attention
• Alertness
• Mood

Acknowledgements

The authors thank two anonymous reviewers for their comments and Anthony McGuffie for his assistance in the programming of the Sustained Attention Response Task (SART).